A new study has shown that concerns about aircraft safety during the eruption of an Icelandic volcano in 2010 were well founded.
Ash particles from the early phase of the eruption were small and abundant, posing a potential threat to aircraft flying through the cloud.
The study, by a Icelandic-Danish team, says particles could have melted inside jet engines, potentially causing them to fail mid-flight.
The analysis also reveals that ash particles from early in the eruption were particularly sharp and abrasive.
The BBC reports the ash from Eyjafjallajokull caused the largest closure of European airspace since World War II. Some 10 million travellers were affected.
The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and the University of Iceland in Reykjavik.
