Work is being done to equip Icelandic airplanes with volcano ash monitors to reduce possible disturbances caused by volcano eruptions, according to reports from Reykjavik on Wednesday.

It is vital for aviation in Iceland, in such close proximity to volcanoes, to know exactly how much ash there is in the stratosphere and where, Petur K. Maack, director of the Icelandic Civil Aviation Administration (CAA), was quoted by Iceland Review online as saying.

The monitoring equipments will be especially set up on airplanes flying to and from Keflavik International Airport near the country's capital Reykjavik, added Maack.

According to him, volcano eruptions, such as the one in Eyjafjallajokull in April 2010 which led to unprecedented shutdown of air space in Europe since World War Two, would cause fewer chaos to aviation industry today than it did nearly two years ago, since researchers got better surveillance on volcanoes and also increased experience known from the Grimsvotn volcano's eruption last year.

The quality of satellite photos used for monitoring ash clouds have been improved greatly, reported Iceland Review online, adding that the Icelandic Meteorological Office is still planning to acquire new stationary and mobile weather scopes.

Volcanic ash is a serious hazard to aircraft, because it causes engine failure if it is sucked into the engines.

The eruption of Grimsvotn volcano in last spring sent ash clouds into the sky and disrupted air travel across some of the European countries, with smaller effect compared to the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano which affected some 8 millions passengers worldwide.

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