Volcanic ash from Iceland triggered flight disruptions across Europe this weekend. Now, even though airports are reopening, some Indian tourists don't want to take any chance.
Kaushik Joshi was all set to fly to Amsterdam on Saturday night, but news of volcanic ash disruptions made him cancel immediately. He had already suffered the ash effect in April when he was grounded for days in Europe. Now, he doesn't want to take chance.
"I have to travel Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Belgium for work. I cannot afford to get stuck at one place. I thought it is best to cancel and reschedule for later," said Kaushik Joshi, a chartered accountant.
Travel agents like Iqbal Mulla are worried about the new wave of cancellations. He is finding it tough to reschedule trips this busy holiday season. According to the Travel Agents Association of India, close to six per cent fliers on European routes have canceled their trips over the weekend.
"This situation will last for another two to three days. We are convincing people to travel. Five to six per cent loss is big in this season," said Iqbal Mulla, Honorary Treasurer, TAAI.
The airline industry has been losing crores every day because of volcanic ash disruptions for almost a month now. Now faced with round two of the ash effect, their losses are only set to grow.
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