AIRLINES such as Ryanair and Wizz Air have been forced to cancel flights due to a number of air traffic control problems.
Ryanair confirmed that more than 60 flights have been canceled and a further 150 delayed due to ATC issues.
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It is claimed that both staff shortages and defective equipment in the centre of Maastricht are causing the problems.
Wizz Air also said it had to cancel a number of flights, many of which were delayed by more than three hours.
And Ryanair Chief Ops Officer Neal McMahon said ATC services were at their “worst level ever”.
They said: “Ryanair and many other European airlines are seeing our schedules repeatedly postponed, flights canceled and passengers disrupted due to the mismanagement of Europe’s ATC.”
The budget airline said it would call in Eurocontrol to investigate why the problems persisted.
They added: “These repeated ATC delays and cancellations are unacceptable.
“We apologize to our passengers for these repeated ATC flight delays and flight cancellations, which are deeply regrettable but beyond Ryanair’s control.”
Wizz Air passengers have also been affected.
Holly Patrick, from Folkestone, was told her flight from Faro to London Gatwick at 11.15am was delayed, but the airline cancelled it.
She was forced to shell ordered hundreds of tickets for new flights, now with a stopover in Luxembourg, after the airline only offered new flights the next day. This would cause her to miss her best friend’s bachelorette party.
Holly told the Sun: “I burst into tears when I was told our flight had been cancelled.
“I organized this bachelor party and all the goodie bags are in my house.
“She’s wanted to get married since she was in her 20s, she’s 44 now. I didn’t want to miss this.”
A Wizz Air spokesperson said: “The Wizz Air network has suffered over 30,000 additional minutes of delays at airports over the last four weeks, compared to the same period last year, as a result of this extraordinary situation.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused some passengers, but unfortunately this issue is beyond our control.
Wizz Air will make every effort to accommodate as many passengers as possible, but if our third party partners are unable to accommodate all requests due to a lack of available rooms, we may ask passengers to arrange their own accommodation.
“Passengers can rest assured that they can claim reimbursement for relevant out-of-pocket expenses up to a reasonable amount through the official Wizz Air website.”
These repeated delays and cancellations from ATC are unacceptable
Neal McMahon, Chief Ops Officer of Ryanair
“Wizz Air was prepared to ensure a smooth summer operation for its passengers; however, the air traffic control system appears to be experiencing significant problems this summer.
“As an industry, we are required to escalate these issues with the relevant air traffic management authorities, including Eurocontrol, to ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures are implemented to minimize disruption.”
Passengers will be contacted by text or email if their flights are affected.
A spokesperson for NATS told Sun Travel: “There is significant disruption to flights across Europe today due to bad weather and a technical issue with the Maastricht Upper Area Air Traffic Control Centre.
“While these issues do not directly impact UK aviation sectors, they do impact airlines’ flight schedules.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are speaking to our customers – the airlines and UK airports – to provide an overview of the current situation and help them plan their operations.”
Yesterday easyJet cancelled a number of flights over Glasgow and Edinburgh, also due to air traffic control problems.
And last week a large number of flights were canceled at Gatwick Airport after two air traffic controllers fell ill.
An aviation source told Travel Weekly it was “not acceptable”, adding: “Gatwick is performing much better than before, but it is not resilient.
“We only had two ATC employees out sick and we had about 40 cancellations.”
And it comes just hours after flights were suspended at London Gatwick Airport after a plane became stuck on the runway.
The incident involved British Airways flight BA2279 to Vancouver, Canada.
A Gatwick Airport spokesman said: “The main runway was closed for a short time today due to a departing aircraft experiencing hot brakes.
Flight compensation rules
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
Under British law, airlines must offer compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.
If you are flying to or from the UK, your airline must give you the choice of a refund or an alternative flight.
You can get a refund for the portion of your ticket that you have not yet used.
So if you have booked a return flight and the outward journey is cancelled, you can receive a full refund of the return ticket.
But if travel is essential, your airline must find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.
When am I not entitled to compensation?
The airline is not obliged to give you a refund if the flight is cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.
Disruptions caused by, for example, extreme weather conditions, strikes by airport or air traffic control personnel or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.
Some airlines are stretching the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’, but you can appeal this through the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?
If you are unable to claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may be able to reimburse you.
Policies vary, so you’ll need to check the fine print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours usually means you’re eligible for some money from your insurer.
Make sure you get written confirmation of your delay from the airport, as your insurer will require proof of this.
If your flight is cancelled completely, you are unlikely to be covered by your insurance.
“Safety is our top priority and the dedicated airport fire brigade responded quickly to support the aircraft.”
Flights will depart as usual again.
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