Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-04-20-Speech-2-018"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20100420.3.2-018"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, we once again find ourselves witnesses to the major impact that weather and climate can have on transport. A not particularly large volcano erupts in Iceland and air traffic in many parts of Europe grinds to a halt for several days. I think it is only right that we have today at least managed to partially resume flights. I also think that we were justified in doing this and that it was something that we were able to do, because the test flights have shown us that we can fly, although obviously only as long as we continue to enjoy the good visibility conditions that we have at present.
At the same time, I think that we were too rigid in shutting down all air traffic in one fell swoop. We have been too rash in making comparisons with the KLM flight that was engulfed in the volcanic dust of Mount Redoubt over Alaska in 1989 and too rash in making references to the British Airways flight which found itself in a cloud of volcanic dust over Indonesia in 1982. Do not forget that both of these flights ended up totally enveloped by dust from volcanoes which had erupted only shortly beforehand and which were relatively nearby. The density and the heat of the dust particles in the cases of those flights were of a level incomparable to the circumstances of the present situation.
I therefore approve of an approach that takes into account the differences in concentration of volcanic dust. If you go with that approach – as we appear to be doing – then it is only right that we reopen parts of the airspace, certainly in certain corridors and at certain altitudes. This reopening is desperately needed, I think, because the Icelandic ash is starving our airlines of cash. The possibility that a few struggling airlines might collapse in this crisis does not cause me much concern. However, we cannot allow major and reputable companies which put safety first to collapse. Too much money and too many jobs are at stake.
In addition, we have to work with a realistic approach that takes into account dust particle concentration. It is right that some parts of the airspace should be reopened today. We should apply this pragmatic approach in the future, too, so that we can strike a sound and, even more so, responsible balance between safety and economics."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples