Blighted by strikes and fuel protests, it is no surprise that French airlines are complaining about the cost. Lionel Guerin, head of the airline industry trade association FNAM and chief executive of Airlinair and Transavia France, said that the costs incurred so far were “higher than they were for the volcano."
The cloud of ash from the Eyjafjoell volcano eruption in the spring caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled across Europe, and cost French airlines $268 million in delays and lost business.