冰島火山灰致歐盟航空損失25億

Volcanic ash crisis cost airlines €2.5 billion

歐盟近日公布的數據顯示，冰島火山灰對歐盟航空業(yè)造成的經濟損失大約在15到25億歐元之間，受火山灰影響而采取的歐洲航空管制導致十萬個航班被取消，1000萬人滯留。歐盟交通事務署官員呼吁進行全面的航空交通管理改革，并對受影響的航空公司進行短期援助，以幫助航空公司緩解資金壓力。不過，歐盟將統(tǒng)一各國對航空公司進行短期援助的標準，補償的前提是不能損害公平競爭的原則，且向航空公司提供的貸款將以現行市場利率為準。據悉，歐盟將會在5樂4日召集各成員國的交通部長舉行緊急會議，商討對歐盟各國航空業(yè)分片管理的現狀進行全面改革，擬成立一個統(tǒng)一的航空管理機構。

The Icelandic volcano ash crisis has cost the airlines €2.5 billion, according to the European Union's executive body.

Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said the economic impact of the weeklong crisis had caused losses of estimated at between €1.5-2.5 billion.

The closure of a large chunk of European airspace due to the volcanic eruption in southern Iceland caused the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights, and left 10 million passengers stranded.

Mr Kallas has called for a sweeping reform of air traffic control and short-term relief like lifting bans on night time flights, to help airlines cope with the losses.

He said the European Commission, which he briefed on the problems, was asking member nations to provide airlines immediate relief with measures such as making market-rate loans and deferring payments for air traffic control services.

Lifting restrictions on night-time flights meant to maintain quiet in neighbourhoods around airports would help airlines repatriate stranded passengers and get delayed freight deliveries to their destinations, he said.

However, Kallas warned EU member states not to grant airlines state aid other than loans at market rates or guarantees as a way of improving their immediate cash flow problems.

"This must be granted on the basis of uniform criteria established at the European level," he said. "It cannot be used to allow unfair assistance to companies which is not directly related to the crisis."

Mr Kallas has called an emergency meeting of EU transport ministers May 4 to fast-track the wholesale reform of Europe's fragmented air traffic system.

"Europe needs a single regulator for a single European sky," he said, adding that the first elements of the so-called Single European Sky could be in place by the end of 2010.

Unified airspace would also put the skies under one regulatory body instead of leaving decisions to dozens of individual countries – one of the key sources of confusion in the volcanic ash crisis.