Large mechanical precision that are the engines of airliners are not certified against the effects of volcanic ash. "It protects engines vis-?-vis things like the ingestion of rain, of course, hail, sand … volcanic ash are rare events and highly variable, "said Jean-Paul Herteman, CEO of Safran, the parent company of the engine manufacturer Snecma, during a conference call.

Why are they so sensitive to dust Icelandic volcano? Because a reactor is a kind of vacuum overkill. "The engines are machines to suck air volumes extraordinary (…) They are sensitive to a certain level of ingestion of ashes," continued Jean-Paul Herteman.

No "miracle technology"

And the ashes are a phenomenon so rare that manufacturers will focus their attention."This is a subject that is not standardized at this stage by the certification regulations and civil aviation", according to the head. "The current priorities are in terms of fuel consumption, emission of greenhouse gas emissions and noise. (…) If certification is evolving and the demand of course we look at what should be done. "But do not expect" miracles of technology, "he pleaded. Especially since the composition of the ash may vary, it says at Safran.

The British engine manufacturer's Roll Royce has to share content with a press statement that the group is working with the rest of the sector to ensure that the impact of volcanic ash on our engines would be properly understood. "

Two Finnish fighter F-18, last Thursday, and an F-16 NATO on Monday, were damaged engine after flying in the cloud of ash."The engines of fighter aircraft are most vulnerable from this point of view than those of airliners," says one in the French engine. Airbus conducted flight tests on Monday between France and Germany with long-haul A380 and A340. "The crew did not notice anything unusual and technical inspection showed no irregularity in the future", said the aircraft manufacturer.

The pilots union European ECA (European Cockpit Association) has called on Monday not to sacrifice security in favor of economic considerations. The ECA, representing 38,200 pilots and crews in 36 countries, said that some of its members were confronted with the effects "extremely abrasive and clogging" of volcanic particles.

The air nozzles and blade cooling systems measure only a hundred microns.They can easily be blocked by volcanic particles are vitrified, told AFP Michel Gliniasty Scientific Director General at ONERA (French Aerospace Research Center). 'The old engines are more durable.'