Lessons Learnt -

Thomas Cook Airlines 'Perspective'

• Why was UK aviation (European?)

seemingly so unprepared?

• What did the airline 'community'

learn?

• What our concerns are for future

significant volcanic events.

Prevailing airline procedures based on historical

'evidence'

Is this industrial pollution or ash?

Does it matter ?.

We learnt that:

• Within aviation sectors there are different approaches

to 'measuring risk' and 'managing risk', and even

defining an acceptable level of risk.

We learnt that:

• There were considerable differences in ANSP and

Government response - very little coordination

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We learnt that:

• The OEMs were sympathetic, but constrained in the help

they could provide

We learnt that:

• We didn't know as much about volcanic ash

promulgation, dispersion and operational implications as

we thought.....

We learnt that:

• We didn't know as much about volcanic ash

promulgation, dispersion and operational implications as

we thought..... Our planning requirements are designed to prevent this!

What if it there was a significant volcanic event tomorrow?

• Quality of ‘source’ information – affects our ability to

optimize planning (there may be more significant risks

than the volcano!)

• Unpredictability of national response – airspace and

airport ‘closures’.

• Crew sensitization.