Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Volcanic Ash Cloud Costs European Car Rental Industry €65 million

The unprecedented travel disruption across Europe resulted in 22 percent of global car rental bookings being canceled, with over 95 percent of passengers not collecting their rental cars at most European airports.

by Staff
May 5, 2010
2 min to read


CarTrawler, provider of a next-generation car rental distribution system, has estimated that the disruption caused by the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland has cost the European car rental industry €65 million.

The unprecedented travel disruption across Europe resulted in 22 percent of global car rental bookings being canceled, with over 95 percent of passengers not collecting their rental cars at most European airports. The disruption resulted in a cancellation of 100,000 global flights over the period which affected 10 million passengers.

"The eruption caused enormous difficulties for the car rental industry and particularly in the area of fleet management. Car rental companies received a large demand for international one-way rentals from travelers who were stuck abroad and needed to make their way home by road. However, the subsequent logistical difficulties in returning the vehicles have resulted in nearly 10 percent of car rental fleets being located outside their home country," said Greg Turley, CEO of CarTrawler.

"This crisis will particularly impact independent companies based in holiday destinations as tourists were not able to pick up their reserved vehicles. Car rental companies operating in island economies were the most severely affected as travelers could not make it to the airport by other means to pick up their car," he said.

The volcanic crisis also meant that car rental companies were subject to some limited negative press as consumers requested international one-way rentals. One-way rentals are more expensive due to the logistics involved in transporting cars back across borders compounded with the loss of rental days while cars are being repatriated to their native countries.

More Rental Operations

Photos of CEOs Colm Brady and Francois Kruger on a blue background and above a headline.
Telematicsby News/Media ReleaseMay 22, 2026

RentalMatics, GeoInt Partner On Rental Car Speed Tracking Tech

Rental operators can now detect and act on speeding while vehicles are still on rent, thereby reducing fines, admin workload, vehicle wear, and safety risks.

Read More →
NextPass 407 ETR

NextPass Expands Toll Payment Service to Highway In Toronto

Fleets and consumer can use a transponder-less option when traveling between Canada and the U.S.

Read More →
A black Jeep is displayed at the Zubie-Bosch-TSD exhibit during the International Car Rental Show.

Zubie, PurCo Integrate Rental Damage Detection With Telematics

The combination brings actionable vehicle insights into PurCo’s PurInspect platform, improving damage detection and operational efficiency for rental fleets.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
50 states map showing LOR rates for each state with different shades of light to dark green

U.S. Length Of Rental (LOR) Declines Slightly in Q1 2026

LOR related to insurance claims overall continues to trend downward, but ongoing market and economic conditions could affect future results while the industry deals with staffing and productivity challenges.

Read More →
Illustration of a driverless futuristic front seat/dashboard view of other cars on a freeway with city skyline on horizon.

Hertz, Uber Deepen Roles In Self-Driving And Driver-Led Fleet Services

The business arrangement connects demand with scalable fleet management services and supports a range of mobility uses.

Read More →
A tech collage of electronic devices against a computer chip blueprint map.
Rental OperationsMay 1, 2026

Why Car Rental Can No Longer Run On Workarounds

The shift from branch-based software to connected operations is turning rental technology into strategic infrastructure.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A tech collage of electronic devices against a computer chip blueprint map.
Rental OperationsMay 1, 2026

Why Car Rental Can No Longer Run On Workarounds

The shift from branch-based software to connected operations is turning rental technology into strategic infrastructure.

Read More →
A black Audi SUV superimposed on a historic scene from downtown Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Carwiz Sets Up Rental Operations In Central Asia

The global franchise operation reaches a first in its rental fleet portfolio with new service in Uzbekistan.

Read More →
A raging brushfire in the countryside.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueApril 30, 2026

Where Rental Fleets Must Adjust To Shifting Catastrophe Risks

West Coast disasters pose unique challenges and liabilities for rental fleet operators, who are advised to take steps tailored to their specific situations.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
ARN Industry Newsmakers thumbnail page with ARN and ICRS logos and shots of Nick DiPrima and Martin Romjue
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueApril 27, 2026

Using AI To Find Rental Car Damage

Angry car renters are storming social media, the mainstream media, and online ratings platforms to complain about charges they claim are either unfounded or excessive.

Read More →
Ad Loading...