Chaos at Heathrow and Gatwick, dozens of flights cancelled | United Kingdom

Thousands of travellers are furious after flight cancellations at Heathrow and Gatwick airports sparked travel chaos today.

EasyJet has cancelled 32 flights from London Gatwick while British Airways is also said to have cancelled 32 flights from London Heathrow.

A message sent to passengers by EasyJet read: “We are sorry that your flight has been cancelled. This is due to air traffic control restrictions.

“The disruption to your flight is beyond our control and is considered an extraordinary circumstance.”

More than 10,000 passengers have ultimately had their travel plans cancelled, with one furious holidaymaker speaking out on social media after his flight was cancelled at the last minute.

They said: “EasyJet is the worst service ever!!! They cancelled my flight, won’t book me another hotel lol then they say they can’t book me another hotel because the ones they use are full.”

Another passenger wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter: “Making us sit on a plane for 3 hours and then cancelling the flight and giving us no alternative is an absolute disgrace!”

“Family vacation cancelled, I’m probably going to have to fight tooth and nail to get my refund and compensation!”

Flights to and from Budapest, Lanzarote and Venice have reportedly been cancelled.

British Airways also cancelled two return flights to Rome and services to Barcelona, Naples and Larnaca in Cyprus were also affected.

RyanAir, which has not cancelled any services, cited problems with ATC services and apologised to customers for the long delays.

In a statement, the airline said: “ATC services, which did not benefit from any disruption due to the French air traffic controllers’ strike this summer, continue to underperform with repeated ‘staff shortages’.

“We apologise to our passengers for these repeated delays at air traffic control which are deeply regrettable but beyond Ryanair’s control.”

The budget airline said the delays were “unacceptable” and blamed ATC’s “mismanagement” for the major disruption.