European airlines short of passengers after September 11

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the number of passengers on European air routes has been cut by five million, reports the European Airlines' Association.

According to its general secretary, air companies in Europe are from day to day sustaining tremendous losses.

In the first month of this year, all routes to countries in North America were underloaded by an average of at least two percent. Immediately after September 11, 2001 the figure constituted over 30 percent and entailed billions of losses, said the European Airlines' Association general secretary.