A bargain from EasyJet

The ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano cost EasyJet alone £50-£75 million. They're testing infra-red ash-detection gear, as a possible alternative to shutting down huge areas of airspace. The pilot study - if it works - will have been a bargain at £1 million.

EasyJet Plc said it will fit a dozen aircraft with ash-detection gear within the next 12 months in order to minimize disruption from volcanic eruptions.

Equipment that uses infra-red technology to evaluate the density of dust particles in the air will be attached to the tails of the jetliners, Luton, England-based EasyJet said today at a press briefing in London.

The program will cost about 1 million pounds ($1.46 million), EasyJet Chief Executive Officer Andy Harrison said at the announcement, which was attended by Andrew Haines, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Britain’s air-safety regulator.

More about AVOID (Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector) here.