Emirates loses 1 mln USD in air traffic chaos
ABU DHABI. April 17. KAZINFORM Dubai-based Emirates Airlines is facing loss of 1 million U.S. dollars so far only for accommodating stranded passengers, who were unable to board flights in Dubai due to widespread disruptions on Europe routes following the volcanic eruption in Iceland, Gulf News reported Saturday; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
About 3,500 hotel rooms plus food and transport have been provided for travelers since Thursday, Richard Vaughan, divisional senior vice president of Emirates, was quoted as saying.
From Saturday, Emirates will stop providing accommodation to passengers trying to board in Dubai as "in the meantime everybody planning to travel should know about the disruptions," he said.
Vaughan added that 38 Emirates flights have been cancelled since Thursday after the volcanic ash cloud started spreading over Europe.
"It is far too dangerous to fly through the cloud," he said. "Engines might stop working as it has been the case with a British Airways plane some years ago"; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
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