Disruption strands 60,000 passengers
21.04.10
Over 60,000 passengers booked to fly to or from East Midlands Airport had their travel plans ruined by the volcanic ash closures, the Burton Mail reports. Over 400 passenger flights were cancelled, whilst over 300 freight flights were also grounded, causing a backlog for the postal system.
Penny Coates, the airport's managing director, also revealed that the suspension of air travel cost the airport £100,000 a day. She told the newspaper: ‘It was the first time we had had no flights 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 wider region.’
The closure allowed the airport to carry out maintenance work across the site. Ms Coates said: ‘Everything is shiny and sparkling clean. We never ever get the opportunity to paint the entire runway in one go, it’s normally a case of grabbing an hour between flights.
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