The airlines collectively cancelled 23 flights across several airports throughout Asia, including Shanghai Pudong and Islamabad International Airport.
Reports indicate that these delays triggered a host of problems, with passengers missing connecting flights and facing hours of chaos. Travel and Tour World reports that there were overcrowded waiting areas and huge queues at Shanghai and Beijing.
This comes as Aer Lingus is expected to cancel around 500 flights due to “mandatory maintenance” on aircraft.
An Aer Lingus spokesperson told RSVP Live: “Aer Lingus has commenced operating its planned summer schedule. A number of recent cancellations have been required due to mandatory maintenance on aircraft, along with a limited number of schedule adjustments.
“Where schedule adjustments are being made, the vast majority of customers are being reaccommodated on same day services.”
Earlier this month, Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary cautioned that flights could be cancelled this summer owing to the soaring cost of jet fuel.
He told ITV News: “We’re all facing an unknown scenario. And we are certainly looking at maybe having to cancel 5 per cent, 10 per cent of flights through May, June and July.”
Should passengers find their flight cancelled, O’Leary suggested they should ‘blame Trump’ rather than the airline.
Air Canada is also set to suspend services to New York’s JFK International Airport over the summer, as the war in Iran triggers jet fuel shortages that have caused prices to rocket.
Canada’s national carrier announced on Friday that flights from Toronto and Montreal to JFK will halt on June 1, resuming on October 25.
Routes serving the New York metropolitan area’s two remaining airports — LaGuardia and Newark — will continue to operate as normal.
Air Canada confirmed it will contact affected customers to offer alternative travel arrangements.
“As jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict and some lower profitability routes and flights are no longer economic, we are making schedule adjustments accordingly,” a spokesman for the Montreal-based carrier said.
