The VOLCEX19 Debrief, VOLCEX20 Planning and VOLCEX/SG/15 Meetings were held in Rome, Italy from 16 to 17 January 2020.
The objectives of the meetings were to develop recommendations from the volcanic ash exercise conducted on 20 November 2019 called VOLCEX19 and consider these recommendations in the objectives of the volcanic ash exercise that will be conducted on 17 November 2020 called VOLCEX20.
The main issue identified in VOLCEX19 was that some national procedures were not in accordance to the Volcanic Ash Contingency Plan for the EUR/NAT Regions. Conformance to the Volcanic Ash Contingency Plan in the EUR/NAT Regions will reduce the number of Danger Areas and unnecessary NOTAMs while improving the issuance of SIGMET particularly providing harmonization at the Flight Information Region boundaries and improve reporting and dissemination of special air-reports on volcanic ash. Routinely conducting volcanic ash exercises is essential because stakeholders continue to improve their readiness for a real volcanic ash event.
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On 17 November 2020, VOLCEX20 will exercise an Icelandic volcano called Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in April 2010. The plume is expected to impact the North Atlantic (Iceland and southeast of Iceland), most of the Europe as far east as the Russian Federation and as far south as the Mediterranean. Participation by all stakeholders in this volcanic ash exercise is strongly encouraged.
The meetings were attended by a total of fifty-eight participants from nineteen States, two Airlines and five International Organizations.
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