The British MET-office took some data from the first hours(!)of the outbrak -- proceeded with their usual "gigo" (garbage in -- garbage out) -- and made one of their usual "predictions" -- that rarely turns out to be reality. During all those next days this first data-set never got adapted, updated with actual data or even checked again.
Yesterday some European airline-managers were beginning to smell the rat and undertook first test-flights -- where they experienced no harm at all.....KLM, acting on a European Union request, flew a Boeing 737-800 without passengers at the regular altitude of 10 km (6 miles) and up to the 13 km maximum on Saturday. Germany's Lufthansa said it flew 10 empty planes to Frankfurt from Munich at altitudes of up to 8 km.
"We have not found anything unusual and no irregularities, which indicates the atmosphere is clean and safe to fly," said a spokeswoman for KLM, which is part of Air France-KLM.
German airline Air Berlin said it had also carried out test flights and expressed irritation at the shutdown of European air space.
"We are amazed that the results of the test flights done by Lufthansa and Air Berlin have not had any bearing on the decision-making of the air safety authorities," Chief Executive Joachim Hunold said.
Na dann ist mir einiges klar.