Eruption delays 'costing Birmingham Airport £300k per day'

20/04/2010

By Nick Jones.

The cancellation of flights from Birmingham International Airport is costing the facility between £250,000 and £300,000 per day, it has been reported.

According to a spokesman, the airport has so far lost in excess of £1 million due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland that began last week (April 14th), grounding all non-emergency flights due to safety concerns.

Bosses eased concerns that passengers stranded abroad would be forced to pay for the amount of time they have parked their cars for, telling the Birmingham Post they need only show their flight details to staff in order to pay the amount originally agreed.

According to the publication, staff at the airport are using the downtime to carry out disruptive construction work, as well as essential maintenance that usually takes place at night.

National Air Traffic Services recently revealed that a new ash cloud bound for the UK could further delay the reopening of airspace, adding that airports in Scotland and the north of England were likely to open first.