SIA Resumed 2 Flights To Europe
Monday, 19th April 2010
Singapore Airlines (SIA) resumed two Europe bound flights five days after they shutdown flights to Europe due to a huge Icelandic volcano ash cloud over Europe's air space. 418 passengers board 2 flights from Singapore Changi International Airport - SQ366 heading to Rome (Italy) and SQ378 heading to Barcelona (Spain). Singapore Airlines gave priority to passengers who had been stranded here in Singapore for a longer time.
Flight cancellations have affected about 40,000 travellers at Changi Airport. Despite some partial opening of airspace, major airports in London, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt remain firmly shut, disrupting holiday and business plans for travellers. The International Air Transport Association, IATA, has meanwhile sharply criticized European governments for their lack of leadership in handling the airspace restrictions. It urged a re-think of the decision-making process.
Update: The 6-day disruption to Singapore Airlines' Europe operations following airport closures costed Singapore Airlines close to S$50 million. The bulk of the cost is from revenue opportunity lost as a result of flight cancellations and disruptions. Another additional S$10 million will go towards paying for hotel rooms and meals, as well as other such expenses, for the thousands of travellers stranded at oversea airports.