Budget airline easyJet is pioneering a new infra red warning system that will allow its pilots to identify harmful volcanic ash clouds.  In the wake of the recent chaos caused by the Iceland eruption.

The devices designer claims that it can detect volcanic ash clouds up to sixty miles away, providing pilots in effect with an early warning system.  With the airlines planning to test the system on twelve of the planes in its fleet.

The Ash Cam  – or to give it its proper name – the Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector, AVOID, has been developed at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research by a Dr Prata.  And is said to function in a similar fashion to the way in which thunderstorms are detected by radar systems.  With easyJet said to be investing around one million pounds in the schemes development.