Disruption strands 60,000 East Midlands passengers and cost £100,000 a day
21.04.10
Over 60,000 East Midlands Airport passengers had their travel plans ruined by the volcanic ash cloud closure, the Burton Mail reports. Over 400 passenger flights in and out of the airport were cancelled, whilst over 300 freight flights by companies such as DHL and Royal Mail were also grounded, causing a backlog for the postal industry in the UK. Penny Coates, EMA managing director, also revealed that the suspension of air travel cost the airport £100,000 a day.
Ms Coates told the newspaper: ‘It was the first time we had had nothing for days ever, so it was a really unusual situation. There was a significant impact on the airport, but there is a much wider impact on the businesses on site and the wider region.’
The closure was used by the airport to carry out maintenance work across the site. Ms Coates said: ‘Everything’s going to be shiny and sparkling clean. We never ever get the opportunity to paint the entire runway all in one go, it’s normally a case of grabbing an hour between flights.
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