European Airports Reopen

CANNES: Airports across Europe reopened today, six days after ash from an Icelandic volcano shut down airspace, but MIPTV delegates still trying to get home are coping with a huge backlog of flights.

Flights are departing and arriving in Paris and Nice, among other airports, today, and a number of stranded MIPTV delegates are hopeful to leave on flights tomorrow and Friday, but delays are expected given the backlog of flights. For those stuck in Paris, Reed MIDEM’s business center is available for use, according to a tweet from MIPTV director Laurine Garaude.

The disruptions cost airlines more than $1.7 billion in lost revenues through yesterday, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "At the worst, the crisis impacted 29 percent of global aviation and affected 1.2 million passengers a day," said IATA Director-General and Chief Executive Giovanni Bisignani. "The scale of the crisis eclipsed 9/11 when U.S. airspace was closed for three days."