The strikes on Afghanistan are a fresh blow for the UK's aviation industry which has already been hit hard by the 11 September atrocities in the US.

There are fears that the downturn in passenger numbers after the attacks will be intensified now military action against the Taleban has started.

Airlines were badly affected during the Gulf War when passengers also stopped flying because of the terrorist threat.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/bus...00/1586189.stm


Airline industry analyst Terry Trippler of OneTravel.com, a travel specialty Web site, said the fact that airlines did not extend their Oct. 8 reduced-fare deadline was a good sign.

``That tells me they were happy with the response, that a lot of people booked (tickets),'' he said. ``Had they extended beyond Monday, then that would have said sales were soft.''

Trippler said international travel could possibly soften because of the U.S.-led bombing raids on Afghanistan, which is harboring the prime suspect in the September attacks, Osama bin Laden.

``I see a softening of international travel for a while but I don't think domestic travel will be affected,'' he said, adding that airlines were likely to introduce new incentives to boost international travel.

Analyst Kevin Murphy of Morgan Stanley said normal demand might not return to the industry until well into 2002.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/011009/n09536902_1.html



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 10-09-2001).]