Flights to popular European holiday destinations have been thrown into chaos, leaving travellers stranded ahead of the summer getaway season.

Significant aviation disruption was recorded on Sunday across Italy, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Major carriers were also hit as 63 flights were scrapped and 1,755 were rescheduled.

The cause of the widespread European disruption remains unclear, though airlines globally have voiced worries over jet fuel costs and availability.

Jet fuel supplies have been severely impacted by the US-Iran conflict which erupted after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on several strategic Iranian locations on February 28. Iran responded by attacking sites throughout the Middle East and shutting down the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping channel, through which 20% of globally traded oil passes. This has throttled worldwide oil supplies and disrupted flights.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport suffered the worst disruption, recording the greatest number of delayed departures. day.

Travellers faced lengthy waits as 313 flights were delayed from the airport, while 13 additional flights were scrapped in just one

Other major hubs affected include:

• Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain with 284 delays and three cancellations
• Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the Netherlands with 235 delays and eight cancellations
• Frankfurt Airport, Germany with 228 delays and three cancellations
• Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, Italy with 213 delays and 10 cancellations
• Munich International Airport, Germany with 145 delays and two cancellations
• London Heathrow Airport, UK with 144 delays and five cancellations
• Copenhagen Airport, Denmark with 67 delays and 10 cancellations
• Amerigo Vespucci Airport, Italy with 48 delays and five cancellations
• Naples-Capodichino International Airport, Italy with 41 delays and two cancellations
• Palermo Airport, Italy with 37 delays and two cancellations

Air France experienced the highest number of delays amongst the affected carriers, with travellers on 117 flights left waiting and 17 flights cancelled.

Other major carriers affected include:

Travel and Tour World additionally reported that United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Eurowings, Condor, Air Dolomiti, Transavia Airlines and Norwegian Air Sweden also experienced disruption.

Virgin Atlantic has cancelled its UK flights to a major holiday destination until at least winter 2027. The airline has”“temporarily paused” flights to Dubai until the end of next year, subject to safety assessments and demand.

The move comes amid the severe disruption to global air travel due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Virgin Atlantic currently operates one daily direct flight from London Heathrow to Dubai. The major international has also confirmed that all flights to Seattle will be paused for the winter 2026 season, with operations scheduled to resume in March 2027. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said the changes to the airline’s 2026 winter flying programme were “due to evolving customer demand”. They said: “Unfortunately, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend our seasonal service to Dubai for the winter 2026 season, while services to Seattle will also be temporarily suspended for the winter 2026 season only, before resuming in March 2027.

“Customers can continue to travel to Seattle with our partner Delta Air Lines who will offer daily services from London Heathrow.”

“We’d like to apologise to any affected customers and will be contacting them with their options which include rebooking or a refund.”

Flights to Cape Town will run every day from October 25 to March 27, with four extra services added on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday during that period.

Johannesburg is set for an even bigger boost, with capacity soaring by 78% thanks to daily flights, plus three additional services on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays across the same timeframe.

In short, both South African routes will see a significant seasonal ramp‑up in frequency.

Virgin Atlantic added: “We look forward to increasing capacity to South Africa with services to Johannesburg rising to 10 flights per week and Cape Town to 11 flights per week, offering customers greater flexibility and connectivity for winter sun to the region.”

The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) currently advises against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates.

United Airlines has launched new daily nonstop flights between Glasgow and New York City for summer 2026, marking the first scheduled service by a US airline on this route since 2019. The inaugural flight touched down at Glasgow Airport on Saturday and is now the only US airline offering a nonstop service between Glasgow and the US. The route operates to Newark Liberty International Airport, United’s major hub serving the wider New York City metropolitan area.

Launched on May 9, the new route will now operate until October 24, 2026, one month longer than previously scheduled. Flights will operate daily between Newark Liberty International Airport and Glasgow Airport using a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

The route from Glasgow to New York/Newark is part of United Airlines’ wider summer 2026 schedule, featuring service to four new cities in Croatia, Italy, Scotland and Spain.

The airline said that in summer 2026, it will be the only airline to launch nonstop flights to four new destinations from its hub in New York/Newark: Split, Croatia; Bari, Italy; Glasgow; and Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

United said it expects to operate nearly 800 weekly transatlantic round-trips during summer 2026, serving 44 destinations across the Atlantic.

The Glasgow-Newark flights will depart daily from Glasgow at 2pm, arriving in New York at 4.35pm local time. Return flights will leave Newark at 10.15pm and land in Glasgow the following morning.

Passengers on the route will be able to choose from United Premium Plus, Economy Plus and economy cabins onboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Karolien De Hertogh, United Airlines’ director of sales for the UK and Ireland, said: “We are pleased to see strong interest in our new upcoming service from Glasgow to New York/Newark, and this significant expansion further underlines the importance of Scotland within United’s global route network.

“Our customers in Scotland will be able to benefit from even more time and travel options to visit New York City, as well as the possibility to connect seamlessly via our U.S. hubs to over 140 onward destinations across the Americas. We look forward to welcoming our customers on board.”

Chris Tibbett, airline director at Glasgow Airport’s owner, AGS Airports, said: “We were absolutely thrilled when United Airlines announced its return to Glasgow Airport for summer 2026, and the increased frequency before the service even starts highlights the strong appetite for connectivity between the two countries.

“The return of United Airlines further strengthens Glasgow Airport’s transatlantic connectivity and is a boost for the region and the wider Scottish economy.”