Passenger disruption at Belfast International Airport at weekend with flight cancellations and delays

Yesterday (Sunday) passengers were left stranded at the airport when a flight to Portugal was cancelled.

And passengers with TUI have been left stuck on the Greek island of Kos since Saturday evening.

However today, according to the Live flight Information at Belfast International Airport, only one flight has been cancelled today.

And all others appear to be on time.

The BBC are reporting that Easyjet have confirmed that its flight to Faro was cancelled due to earlier delays which it said resulted in the “crew reaching their maximum working hours”.

Easyjet apologised for the inconvenience and said customers could transfer to an alternative flight or receive a refund

It apologised for the inconvenience and said customers could transfer to an alternative flight or receive a refund.

The Belfast to Bristol flight was also cancelled both ways “due to air traffic control restrictions earlier in the day which led to the crew reaching their maximum operating hours”.

Meanwhile, “ground handling delays” at Gatwick was the reason for cancellation of flights to and from the London airport.

According to the BBC TUI have said that passengers on its flight from Kos had been due to leave on Saturday night but had yet to make it home.

TUI apologised and said the flight was unable to depart as planned due to “operational issues”.

A spokesperson for the airline said: “Everyone has been able to stay in their hotels and meals have been provided.

“We are in touch and will update them with revised travel plans as soon as we can.

“We understand that delays are frustrating and we thank all impacted customers for their patience. Customers on this flight are entitled to compensation in line with regulations and have already been sent information on how to submit a claim.”

Speaking on BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster programme, travel expert Simon Calder said the incidents showed the type of stresses the travel industry was under.

“Easyjet, loads of cancellations as well as the Faro flight which is really upsetting because of course lots of people were looking forward to arriving in the Portuguese Algarve and having a lovely holiday on a Sunday evening”, he said.

“But instead they find that they are collecting their bags and going home. The airline is blaming a combination of air traffic control problems and ground handling issues.

“But actually Easyjet is in a right old mess because it hasn’t got enough staff for the flights it needs to operate this summer.”

Mr Calder estimated that the airline was cancelling about 25 to 30 flights a day and that appeared to be on the increase.

He said that at least one flight between Belfast and London Heathrow had been cancelled every day for weeks - a route not operated by Easyjet.

Another TUI flight, from Belfast to Dalamanin Turkey, has been delayed by more than 12 hours in Monday.

This evening a spokesman for Belfast International Airport said: “There are few delays this afternoon - Gatwick currently running at approx 1hour delay but for lates information the website is the best resource as it is taking fresh feeds from the airlines.

“Live Flight Information | Belfast International Airport (belfastairport.com)

According to the live feed one flight has been cancelled today - one from Liverpool.

Easyjet has also been asked for a comment.