Volcanic ash could have cost European airlines and airports £2.2bn

Volcanic ash could have cost European airlines and airports up to £2.2bn, the European Commission (EC) has warned.

The ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland led to the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights over the past two weeks, and prevented more than 10 million passengers from being able to travel.

Siim Kallas, Europe’s transport commissioner, said the EC was inclined to allow carriers affected by the volcano to claim state aid to help cover their losses, the Financial Times has reported.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

Email(Required)

OptOut

From time to time, we will send you emails about selected products, events and services from Personnel Today and OHW+ - but you can choose to opt-out at any time. If you do not wish to receive these emails, please tick this box.

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

The EC’s damage assessment following the eruption covered airlines, airports and tour operators, but the figure could increase if claims for compensation are made by hotels, retailers and other sectors affected by the incident.

Last week, the absence management firm FirstCare warned the disruption could cost UK businesses more than £3m a day as workers were trapped abroad.