A cloud of volcanic ash that has forced countries across Europe to close their airspace is very likely to cost the aviation industry more than 100 million euros per day, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) announced on Friday.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers intending to travel by air have been stranded at airports ahead of the weekend marking the end of the Easter holidays in much of Europe. Airlines that were supposed to operate are legally obliged to take care of the passengers."On a normal day, our members would expect revenues of around 200 million euros. According to the latest data from the European Air Traffic Management Agency Eurocontrol, 60 percent of flights within Europe are expected to be canceled on Friday," said David Henderson, information manager at AEA.
According to these calculations, European airlines are likely to lose around 120 million euros in revenue just on Friday. However, Henderson emphasized that the calculation of the final cost will be far more complex, as airlines are also obliged to take care of passengers who are stuck in transit."We have started receiving reports from our members about the significant costs they are incurring for accommodating passengers in hotels," he said. (H)
