Tech to help AVOID ash cloud disruptions

eTravel Blackboard reveals.

The Airborne Volcanic Object Imaging Detector (AVOID) was revealed in a test flight over Mt. Etna, in Sicily, and has been given the approval by low-cost airline, EasyJet.

World First says the technology, developed by the US military, enables pilots to detect an ash cloud ahead at altitudes between 5 000 and 50 000 feet, allowing them to make adjustments to the plane's flight path to avoid any ash cloud.

The device has been installed on a microlight aircraft, which has flown more than 30 hours to test the equipment.

EasyJet says trials of the technology have been successful so far, and the airline hopes to install the equipment on its entire fleet next year, The Australian notes.

"Safety is at the heart of the aviation industry, which is why we saw the blanket shutdowns in reaction to volcanic ash over the past two years," EasyJet's head of engineering, Ian Davies, said.