Airline Associations call for change

Three airline associations have called upon Europe and member states for a commitment to support European airlines affected by the volcano and its aftermath. At the beginning of the week much of European airspace remained closed to any commercial air traffic and this has meant many airlines face huge costs and logistical nightmares.

The associations, ELFAA (European Low Fare Airline Association, ERA (European Regional Airline Association and IACA (International Air Carrier Association) have said that they are doing their utmost under the new passenger rights regulation EU261/2004.

Currently that regulation means that airlines must without exception provide care of passengers including food and accommodation for an event totally outside their control. The associations say that European governments can not ignore the economic consequences the volcano in Iceland is having on the airlines. The three associations have proposed a series of operational and financial measures to the European Commission to ease the financial burden on the airlines. www.elfaa.com www.eraa.org www.iaca.be

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