Tower's domestic passenger bookings are down 25 percent since the crash, the carrier says, and, partly as a result, it expects to lose money this year for the first time since 1986.

William was confident Interstate had nothing to fear from such an inspection, but the action proved disastrous for the short-term passenger bookings.

Airlines say it is too early to measure the drop in passenger bookings or gauge exactly how this will affect financial performance.

Continental said that it had experienced a drastic reduction in passenger bookings since it resumed flying after Tuesday's unprecedented grounding of all airplanes around the country.

The opening salvo against Baghdad on Wednesday night sent airline planners back to their computers, scrutinizing where passenger bookings had dipped and which flights could be cut.

Contributions are calculated by multiplying the number of passenger bookings by a set passenger charge specified by the CAA.

While passenger bookings are not being taken, some paid staff are engaged in heavy maintenance in preparedness for future operations.

Navitaire reservation systems processed more than 355 million passenger bookings in 2011.

Vehicle and passenger bookings 0795 666666, inclusive holiday bookings 0795 662233.

David Turnbull, Cathay Pacific's chief executive and deputy chairman, told employees this week that the combination of war and disease "has annihilated our passenger bookings."