Flights began to resume across Europe this week, nearly a week after the eruption of an Icelandic volcano created the worst peacetime travel disruption in history. The Eyjafjallajökull volcano shot thousands of tons of ash 30,000 feet into the air, creating a cloud of tiny, sand-like particles that could damage airplane engines. Tens of thousands of flights in and out of Europe were canceled, stranding hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. Airlines lost nearly $2 billion in revenue, and the U.S. tourism industry suffered a $650 million blow.
It could take weeks until the flight backlog is resolved. The eruption and ash clouds were subsiding, but could resume at any time. The International Air Transport Association called on European governments to compensate airlines for what they claim was an overreaction. “I don’t believe it was necessary to impose a blanket ban on all U.K. airspace,” said British Airways CEO Willie Walsh. “We could have safely continued operating.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The crisis may be far from over, said Anne Applebaum in The Washington Post. Europeans have grown increasingly dependent on air travel, not just for the products on the shelves but for work and leisure as well. If Eyjafjallajökull keeps belching for two years, like it did the last time it erupted, in the 19th century, it could “change the economics and politics of an entire region.”
“We can adapt,” said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. Humans find ways “to survive changes in the environment”—which is something global warming paranoiacs should keep in mind. Even now, engineers are working to develop ash-resistant jet engines. “In the contest of Man versus Eyjafjallajökull, our money is not on the volcano.”
-
The final fate of Flight 370feature Malaysian officials announced that radar data had proven that the missing Flight 370 “ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
-
The airplane that vanished
feature The mystery deepened surrounding the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
-
A drug kingpin’s capture
feature The world’s most wanted drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was captured by Mexican marines in the resort town of Mazatlán.
-
A mixed verdict in Florida
feature The trial of Michael Dunn, a white Floridian who fatally shot an unarmed black teen, came to a contentious end.
-
New Christie allegation
feature Did a top aide to the New Jersey governor tie Hurricane Sandy relief funds to the approval of a development proposal in the city of Hoboken?
-
A deal is struck with Iran
feature The U.S. and five world powers finalized a temporary agreement to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
-
End-of-year quiz
feature Here are 40 questions to test your knowledge of the year’s events.
-
Note to readers
feature Welcome to a special year-end issue of The Week.