Air France complains daily loss of 35 mln euros

Air France recorded a daily loss of 35 million euros (47 million U.S. dollars) due to troublesome volcanic ash clouds that paralyzed civil aviation in Europe, the company's Director General Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said Monday.

"European air transport industry has lost 150 million euros in one day. Air France KLM represented one quarter, totaling a loss of 35 million euros in one day," Gourgeon said to reporters at the Paris Roissy Airport.

Early in the day, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) asserted current aviation crisis following the volcano eruption has cost international air traffic at least 200 million dollars a day in revenues.

IATA's Director General Giovanni Bisignani accused European governments' general ban on airspace inadequate and urged the re-open, at least partly, of the airspace to European airports.

The British Airways estimated that continuing aviation suspension led a loss of 17-26 million euros (23-35 million dollars) in revenue, local reports said.

Britain authority has announced to extend its airspace ban to 00:00 GMT Tuesday, while French Prime Minister Francois Fillon is expected to announce update measures to the situation at 4:00 p.m. Paris time.

Source: Xinhua