BRUSSELS — The European Union speeded up action on a sweeping reform of its air-traffic control system Friday after a crisis over volcanic ash turned much of the continent into a no-fly zone for days.
“The worst is now over, but there is a huge amount of work to be done to deal with crisis management,” said EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas.
Germany invited aviation experts, EU officials and industry representatives to Berlin on Tuesday to discuss setting standards for air travel.
Spain, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said EU transport ministers would meet May 4 in Brussels for talks on a unified European airspace.
European airspace on Friday was almost completely free of volcanic ash from Iceland, according to Eurocontrol, the air-traffic agency.
But for the first time since the April 14 eruption, Iceland’s major international airport was closed after shifting winds blew the ash cloud toward the capital of Reykjavik.
Transatlantic flights on Icelandair that usually stop in Iceland were being rerouted through Glasgow in Scotland.
The Associated Press
