Airlines are urging the government to make important amendments to flight compensation rules following a weekend of travel chaos.
More than 1,000 flights were cancelled following an air traffic control meltdown which NATS’ has blamed on ‘unusual data’ in the system.
Holidaymakers are still being impacted with many still stranded overseas.
Airlines are not required to pay out specific flight compensation, but IATA predicts airlines could lose about £100m in costs and lost revenue.
IATA chief Willie Walsh said that the UK should “look at the way passenger compensation is dealt with so those responsible ultimately bear the costs.”
He said: “It’s very unfair because the air traffic control system, which was at the heart of this failure, doesn’t pay a single penny.”
While the issue is out of airlines’ control, PM Rishi Sunak urged airlines to ‘honour their obligations’ with accommodation and rebooking flights.
