The health crisis unleashed by the coronavirus has thrown in doubt the viability of much of the airline industry. In Spain, 95 percent of all flights have been affected by the ban on international travel. European legislation requires airlines to honor consumer requests for refunds within 7 days. Now the airlines and a growing number of European nations are putting pressure on Brussels to relax these regulations, but the European Commission has refused.
In Spain alone, 400,000 flights have been canceled in recent weeks, dooming the airlines to spending billions on refunds. But with no income coming in, it’s difficult to see how they will be able to meet their obligations.
