Researchers are working on a way to protect airplanes from the dangerous particles that loom in the air following volcanic eruptions.
Airbus has teamed up with British airliner EasyJet to create the first artificial ash cloud, which stems from a volcanic blast and can severely damage a jet's engine.
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To test the system, a military aircraft dispersed one ton of ash on Wednesday collected from the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The massive eruption closed airspace for six days and cost the aviation industry an estimated $1.7 billion.
The recent test was successfully completed, and the plane identified the ash from distances of 37 miles away. The technology could be installed in EasyJet planes by the end of 2014.
The timing would be optimal, too; Iceland experiences eruptions once every five years, so the next one could be just two years away.
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