Thousands stranded as bad weather and air traffic control shortages lead to flight cancellations

More than 10,000 passengers have been affected by flight cancellations at UK airports due to bad weather and a shortage of air traffic control staff in Europe.

At least 125 scheduled flights were cancelled on Sunday and Monday, including 82 British Airways flights to and from Heathrow.

Several airlines have also cancelled flights to and from Gatwick. The worst-hit airline is easyJet, with 34 flights grounded on Sunday and at least nine on Monday.

Airlines have blamed the grounded flights on “adverse weather conditions” and “traffic control delays”, which could leave thousands of holidaymakers without compensation, with such causes of disruption generally considered to be beyond the airlines’ control.

Continuing staff shortages in Europe are believed to be behind restrictions on air traffic control (ATC), with the number of workers in the sector falling for the first time during the pandemic.

This is not the first time that staff cuts have caused tensions between the industry and airlines. A Ryanair spokesperson said ATC services continued to “underperform”.

While passengers are unlikely to receive a refund, they may be entitled to assistance – this could include refreshments, overnight accommodation and rebooking with other carriers.