Airbus has released more information on the test flights executed by two of the company’s aeroplanes which sought, in addition to other objectives, to assess the affect of the volcanic ash cloud, which has covered much of Europe over the past several days, on aircraft and their engines.

The behaviour of the aircraft and their engines were monitored by the flight crew while flying through the ash cloud, and nothing abnormal was observed. After landing, ground crews under took thorough inspections of the engines. They found nothing abnormal, either. The post flight inspection, likewise, revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

Airbus has supplied its analysis of the results of these flights to the European aviation authorities.

The flights were executed on Monday by an A380 Superjumbo and an A340-600, both four-engined machines and both specially instrumented flight test aircraft owned by Airbus.

The A380 was the fourth example built, MSN4, and is powered by Engine Alliance engines, while the A340 was MSN360, powered by Rolls-Royce engines. Being test aircraft, they are fitted with systems to measure aircraft and engine performance while in flight and are fitted with special escape hatches for the flight crews, should an emergency arise.

Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, Airbus’ main base, was not closed and these were scheduled test flights, part of the company’s normal development flight test programme, but adjusted to add the investigation of the ash cloud to the previously established objectives of the flights.

Test flights into the ash cloud, Airbus pointed out, were also conducted by Air France, British Airways, KLM and Lufthansa.

The ash cloud was created by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.