AIRLINES including Ryanair and Wizz Air have been forced to cancel flights due to a number of problems with air traffic control.
Ryanair confirmed that more than 60 flights were cancelled, with another 150 delayed due to the ATC issues.
It is claimed that both staff shortages and equipment failure at the Maastricht centre have caused the problems.
Wizz Air said they have also been forced to cancel a number of flights, with many more than three hours delayed.
And Ryanair’s Chief Ops Officer Neal McMahon said said ATC services were at their "worst levels ever".
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They said: "Ryanair and many other European airlines are having our schedules repeatedly delayed, flights cancelled, and passengers disrupted due to the mismanagement of European ATC."
The budget airline said they were calling on Eurocontrol to investigate why the problems were ongoing.
They added: "These repeated ATC delays and cancellations are unacceptable.
"We apologise 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 11:15am Faro to London Gatwick flight was delayed, only for the airline to cancel it.
She was forced to shell out hundreds for new flights, now with a stopover in Luxembourg, after the airline only offered new flights the following day, meaning she would miss her best friends hen do.
Holly told the Sun: "I burst into tears when I was told our flight was cancelled.
"I organised this hen do, and all of the goody bags are in my house.
"She's been wanting to get married since her 20s she's now 44 - I wasn't willing to miss this."
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A Wizz Air spokesperson said: "The Wizz Air network suffered over 30,000 extra airport slot delay minutes in the past four weeks compared to the same period last year, as a result of this extraordinary situation.
"We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused to some of our passengers, but unfortunately, this issue is out of our control.
"Wizz Air is doing everything to accommodate as many passengers as possible, but in case our external partners are unable to support all requests due to lack of room availability, passengers may be asked to arrange their own accommodation.
"Passengers can be assured that they will be able to claim for reimbursement of relevant out-of-pocket expenses up to a reasonable amount through Wizz Air's official website."
These repeated ATC delays and cancellations are unacceptable
Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s Chief Ops Officer
"Wizz Air was prepared to ensure smooth summer operations for its passengers; however, the air traffic control system seems to be experiencing significant issues this summer.
"As an industry, we are compelled to escalate these issues with the relevant air traffic management authorities, including Eurocontrol, to ensure proper mitigation actions are implemented to minimise disruptions."
Passengers will be contacted vis text or email if their flights are affected.
A NATS spokesperson told Sun Travel: "There is significant disruption to flights across Europe today because of bad weather and a technical issue affecting the Maastricht Upper Area Air Traffic Control Centre.
"Whilst these issues are not directly impacting UK airspace sectors, they are affecting airline schedules.
"We are monitoring the situation closely and speaking with our customers – the airlines and UK airports – to provide an overview of the current situation to help them plan their operations.”
Yesterday, easyJet cancelled a number of flights across Glasgow and Edinburgh, also citing air traffic control issues.
And last week, flight cancellations hit Gatwick Airport after two air traffic controllers were sick.
An aviation source told Travel Weekly it was "not acceptable," adding: “Gatwick has been doing way better than it was, but it’s not resilient.
"Just two ATC staff went sick and we had 40-odd cancellations.”
And it also comes just hours after flights were suspended at London Gatwick Airport, when a plane was left stuck on the runway.
The incident involved British Airways flight BA2279 to Vancouver, Canada.
A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: "The main runway was closed for a short time today due to a departing aircraft having hot brakes.
"Safety is our top priority and the dedicated airport fire service swiftly attended to support the aircraft."
Flights are back to operating as usual.
