Stating that airlines have had to bear losses of more than $1.7 billion, owing to the Icelandic volcano calamity, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has asked governments to compensate carriers for the losses.
Quantifying the losses, IATA’s Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani stated that the crisis had impacted 1.2 million travellers a day and affected 29% of global aviation. Bisignani added that the need for economic assistance was extreme, especially since the crisis comes at a time when airline industry was financially in its worst state.
Bisignani asserted that European governments should hold themselves accountable since the situation was unanticipated and compounded further by the poor decision-making process followed by national governments.
IATA also termed the passenger care regulations as “unfair”, as they do not take into consideration such exigent situations but still hold airlines responsible for ancillary payments. Bisignani condemned the closing of European airspace, as the action was not based on facts. The IATA chief also reiterated the need for a Single European Sky and a respite from restrictions on night flights to help get passengers home.
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