Eyjafjallajökull  (photo source)

During the past week, most airports in Europe have been closed. Unprecedented flight cancellations have prevented people from making planned trips. Millions of travellers have been stranded away from home. It has all been blamed on ash from a volcano in Iceland, which can apparently clog aircraft engines and make it hard for pilots to see where they are going.

But look at the name of the offending volcano: Eyjafjallajökull. They cannot be serious! While newsreaders have been stumbling over a name that looks like a computer password, nobody seems to have noticed that it is actually Icelandic for 'April Fools joke'.

I happended to meet a British Airways pilot the other day. He was stranded in Switzerland by the flight ban. He couldn't believe that the authorities had been taken in by the dangerous ash story. Britain, yes, maybe... one of the most risk-averse societies in the world... but so many other EU countries as well? My new friend was a fighter pilot before joining BA. You wouldn't catch him being scared of a little bit of ash in the sky! Meanwhile, he was enjoying his holiday in Switzerland.

But how could all those high-tech air traffic people be fooled into taking such a risk? It does seem a bit of an over-reaction. But perhaps that's the answer. We expect air traffic people to be cautious and meticulous... that's the nature of their job. They are employed to do what they do well. They don't take risks. We shouldn't be surprised. Whether the threat of death by ash was real, or just an Eypril Fjoolls Jöke, air traffic controllers could be expected to react cautiously. After all, you never know.

On the other hand, an ex fighter pilot and his colleagues could be expected to react differently. They too are employed to do what they do well. They have discipline and daring. They have pride in the technology at their command. They have confidence in their own skill and experience. They believe in themselves. We wouldn't want any of that now, would we!

Stop Press

It has come to light in the last few minutes that the volcano is real. It has been erupting. (See pictures.) There has been ash fall, flooding and real hardship in the surrounding area. In Iceland, it was no joke. I'm not sure I can say the same for the rest of Europe.