Confusion reigns as airspace ban lifted
As the first of hundreds of thousands of trapped holidaymakers start to make their way back by home it is becoming apparent that the lifting of the ban yesterday evening will take many days to unwind and many people will still struggle to get home in the immediate future. There is anger and resentment amongst passengers and airlines around the world that the European authorities and the UK government appear to have stretched out the airspace ban beyond what the industry feels was a reasonable timescale.
We now have the very tricky situation of compensation for the likes of British Airways and other UK and European airlines affected by the ban and how this will impact upon the industry as a whole. There is no doubt that not only additional costs have been incurred bringing passengers back home but the loss of revenue from those unable to fly has been building day by day. This comes at a time when the worldwide airline industry has never been weaker and we can expect further bad news on the financial front, more mergers and more takeovers in the short to medium term. What else can go wrong for the airline industry?
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