Tour operators consider damages claim against Belgocontrol

The Belgian Travel Organisation (BTO), the federation for tour operators, has said it is investigating the possibility of a damages claim against air Belgocontrol. The air traffic control authority was responsible for the power outage at Brussels Airport earlier this week that left thousands of passengers stranded when flights into and out of the airport in Zaventem were grounded.

BTO called the incident “a black day for Belgian aviation and the tourism industry in general”. More than 200 flights were cancelled, and some passengers had to spend the night on Red Cross cots in the departures hall.

The BTO stresses that its members did everything possible to help passengers, including refunds, new bookings and alternative itineraries. Belgocontrol has, meanwhile, ordered a thorough investigation of the causes of the power cut. Based on that report, BTO will decide whether to lodge a claim for damages.

Some airlines, including Ryanair and Brussels Airlines, have offered passengers affected by the stoppage a free replacement flight or a refund. According to Flemish chamber of commerce Voka, the incident in which Belgium’s airspace was closed for more than four hours cost the economy an estimated €5 million for the airport alone, and as much as €50 million for the economy as a whole.

Photo: Demotix Live News/Corbis