The government has admitted that there is very little chance of airlines disrupted by the ash cloud which closed much of the airspace over Europe for nearly a week earlier in the year, receiving compensation. The Department for Transport stated that although the UK government has not completely ruled out giving support to operators and airlines, it would be wrong to start raising hopes.

The Department for Transport added that they understood how uncomfortable the situation was for airlines, coming so soon after the world was plunged into recession. The issue of compensation will be addressed at a meeting of transport ministers from throughout the European Union due to take place on June 24.

In its statement, the Department for Transport also added that clearance for any compensation payments to airlines would have to be given by the European Union.

More importantly, it went on to say, the country is battling a massive budget deficit which means that there might not be the funds available even if permission for compensation payments was issued by Brussels.

According to the European Union executive, the cost of the volcano ash cloud disruption to European airlines may be as high as 2.5 billion euros. Last month, passengers faced further disruption to services as a Irish and British airports were forced to close due to ash in the atmosphere. A number of airline bosses have lashed out at the authorities for closing airspace unnecessarily. Many are now calling for more advanced technology to be used when assessing the risks of ash clouds.