BA test flight shows no impact of ash cloud on engine

LONDON - A British Airways (BA) test flight through prohibited airspace has revealed “no variations in the aircraft’s normal operational performance”, the airline said Monday.

The Boeing 747, which had BA chief executive Willie Walsh on board, flew from London towards the Atlantic late Sunday, landing in the Welsh city of Cardiff.

The aircraft’s flight data recorder showed all four engines had performed “without fault for the duration of the flight” which lasted 46 minutes at an altitude of more than 12 km.

“The analysis we have done so far, alongside that from other airlines’ trial flights, provides fresh evidence that the current blanket restrictions on airspace are unnecessary,” Walsh said.

He believed that airlines were “best positioned to assess all available information and determine what, if any, risk exists to aircraft, crew and passengers”.

“Since airspace was closed Thursday our assessment is that the risk has been minimal and can be managed by alternative procedures to maintain the highest, safest standards,” said Walsh. He called on the government to adopt new policies that would allow flights to be resumed.