In our opinion

If something cannot be dealt with, it should be ignored, with a straight face proving that the problem does not exist. At one time, this is exactly what the authorities of Soviet Ukraine did: having decided to demonstrate to everyone the harmlessness of the radiation leak at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, they held a festive May Day demonstration in Kyiv. Last week, the British authorities did approximately the same thing, who were tired of constantly canceling flights due to the unpredictability of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. Since last month, this volcano has been spewing ash, which is affecting air traffic throughout Europe and especially in the UK (see "Power" No. 16 of April 26).

Last week, the British Civil Aviation Authority decided to change the rules for flying in the volcanic ash zone. In fact, the department has doubled the maximum permissible ash concentration considered safe for flight. True, just in case, officials abdicated all responsibility for possible consequences. According to Andrew Haynes, head of the department, "the answer (to the question of flight safety - "Power" ) can only be given by aircraft and engine manufacturers, who must establish the level of ash concentration at which their products can operate safely." This is the second change in the norm in the last month. Before the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, any concentration of ash was considered unacceptable by regulations. Six days after the first eruption, the permissibility threshold was raised to 0.02 g per cubic meter of air. Now the maximum permissible concentration is 0.04 g per cubic meter.

The British conquered the ashes