The eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano in April 2010 led to some 100,000 flights being cancelled last year after the corrosive ash cloud grounded European flights. Unable to attend crucial meetings in person, Europe’s business people turned to videoconferencing. Across Europe, workspace provider Regus saw a 180 % month-on-month increase in video communication enquiries in April and May 2010.

One year later, Regus is still seeing a level of video communication enquiries far above pre-cloud levels, averaging a 75% increase on the previous year across the UK, following the latest Grimsvotn volcano. Many expected that it would be business as usual once Europe’s aviation authorities allowed planes to fly at higher ash densities in May 2010, and airlines resumed normal service. However, the continued raised interest in Regus’ video communication facilities suggests businesses now see virtual meetings as a viable alternative to face-to-face meetings.

“The worldwide disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud of 2010 had a beneficial consequence,“ remarked Celia Donne, Regus’ regional director, “it taught businesses that video communication can replace time-consuming and costly air travel. At a time when companies of all sizes want to cut travel costs and shrink their carbon footprint, why spend money on flights abroad when they can achieve the same results at a nearby video communication studio?”

The effect has not been confined to Northern Europe however with interest in video communication also increasing in parts of the globe not directly affected by the ash cloud. The aviation chaos of April and May 2010 persuaded many companies in Asia and Europe that they no longer need to cross continents to hold effective meetings.

However, Joshua Norrid, VP of travel and leisure at Progress Software, believes that operational efficiency is the key to dealing with this latest event:

“It’s difficult to imagine an industry currently under more pressure than the airline business. It has faced a myriad of challenges – the rise of the low-cost airline, high oil prices, environmental concerns leading to higher taxes and restrictions in airport growth, tightened security, industrial unrest and, now, unforeseen events such as the latest ash cloud.

“This Grimsvotn volcano eruption could create immense pressure upon carriers, which could lead the industry as a whole facing further losses. It seems hard to understand that an industry that moves 2.5 billion people per year and is so intrinsic to the global economy can have such grave economic difficulties.

“Operational efficiency, or trying to “squeeze more out of less”, is one area that airlines have concentrated on to try and maintain their viability. Despite lots of attention in this area there is still enormous work to do. One key area is in the use of IT to become more operationally responsive to the complex environment that airlines operate in. At the moment, operational managers in airlines don’t have the information they need to make effective decisions in time.”