Ryanair

OUR Spotlight On column gives you the lowdown on what to see and do in popular holiday spots and off-the-beaten-track destinations.

This week we’re shining a light on Limassol in Cyprus, home to gorgeous beaches and luxury marinas littered with quality restaurants.

Cyprus is one of the best Med destinations for some late winter sun, with it remaining one of the warmest European destinations in winter.

By that, I mean expect temperatures of 23C – not hot, but definitely t-shirt weather.

British Airways, Wizz Air and Ryanair all have direct flights to both airports which are around an jour from Limassol (with Ryanair offering them for as little as £14.99)

Here are some of our other top tips for a visit to the island city.

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MUST SEE/DO

Limassol is so much more than a fly-and-flop destination – the second-largest city in Cyprus is rich in culture and fascinating history.

And you can unearth some of its magic at the Limassol Castle & Medieval Museum, which dates back to around 1590 (although it was demolished and has been rebuilt with several additions throughout the years).

Here you can take a detailed look at medieval pottery, old weapons and plates from the Byzantine era.

HIDDEN GEM

While most holidaymakers will spend their trip flopped on the beach, those with a more adventurous streak can take advantage of some gorgeous hiking trails, leading them to a couple of hidden waterfalls.

A little off the beaten track, at the foot of the Troodos Mountain, the tumbling Kaledonia and Millomeris falls are a magnificent sight – and great spot for a photo.

The stroll takes around an hour and is just shy of 3km from Pano Platres – you can reward your efforts with a refreshing dip in the waters.

BEST VIEW

Perched on a mighty hill, the ancient theatre of Kourion offers the most breathtaking view, with the Mediterranean ocean laid out below.

The horse-show-shaped archaeological site is pretty spectacular anyway, regardless of the sea views.

It was constructed at the end of the 2nd century BC, from local limestone and has seen many renovations over the years.

It’s no longer used for wild animal fights, understandably.

Instead, visitors today can expect regular theatre performances during the summer months.

RATED RESTAURANT

There’s no end to excellent restaurants in Limassol, but if you’re a meat-eater you can’t go wrong with a slap-up dinner at Prime Steakhouse.

Located within the City of Dreams resort, close to Limassol Bay and Salt Lake, the sophisticated restaurant has been nominated in the Hotel/Resort Luxury Dining category for this year’s Cyprus Eating Awards.

Properly juicy steaks are cooked inside a Mibrasa charcoal oven and can be paired with stilton, chimichurri or morel mushroom sauces.

Make sure to wash it down with one of the whisky-based cocktails.

For dinner with a view, right on the marina is Pyxida (another nominee in the Cyprus Eating Awards) which cooks up top notch, fresh seafood.

BEST BAR

Few bars serve better cocktails than stylish Catrinas Cyprus, a Mexican-restaurant-cum-bar close to the marina.

The classic menu features all the favourites from the zesty pornstar martini to aperol spritz

Travellers come for the fruity drinks in a laidback atmosphere, but stay for the lively music – sometimes as late as 2am.

HOTEL PICK

The sprawling City of Dreams Mediterranean sits right on the coast and is bursting with fun for families and adults alike, from its grand casino and late-night shows, to tennis coaching sessions and an adventure park with a zipline coaster and climbing wall.

The five-star setting is a great place to relax with several outdoor and indoor pools, a spa and even a hair salon for those wanting a holiday zhuzh.

Rooms cost from €340 in winter, on bed and breakfast basis. See cityofdreamsmed.com.cy.

‘I’m absolutely disgusted by how we were treated’

A Ryanair passenger says he is ‘absolutely disgusted’ with the airline after travelling for a family funeral. Edward Stokes had flown to London Stansted with his son to pay his respects at the funeral of his cousin’s wife.

What should have been an emotional family occasion allegedly descended into a travel nightmare when the 49 year old said he ran into difficulties with his booking on the journey home last week. Edward claims he and his son were each hit with a £46 (€55) charge after missing the online check-in window by just three minutes for their outbound flight.

“I’m absolutely disgusted by how we were treated,” said Edward. “I’ve been a loyal Ryanair customer for years.

“In fact, Ryanair is practically the only airline my family and I ever use. But after what happened to me this week, I am absolutely shocked and disgusted.

“We were three minutes late checking in online on Tuesday morning and were charged €55 each, €110 in total. Fair enough, we were late.

“We accepted responsibility, paid the money and moved on. But what happened on the way home was a completely different story.”

Edward alleges he was then refused boarding on his homeward flight to Dublin due to a mix-up over the name on his reservation. His booking listed both Edward and Teddy – a nickname he commonly uses – and he claims he had been permitted to travel to England without any problems.

Unable to board his scheduled flight, he said he was forced to book an alternative service departing at 10pm for £300 (€357.57), after an earlier option would have set him back around £450. Yet he says his journey home was anything but straightforward.

Mr Stokes claims the replacement flight was delayed by approximately an hour and 45 minutes, meaning he missed the last bus home. With no funds for a taxi and nobody on hand to collect him, he says he was left stranded at Dublin Airport for five hours until the next bus, finally making it home the following morning.

Edward, a blinds and carpets business owner from Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, said: “I’ve been known as Teddy all my life. On the way over, my booking included Edward Teddy Stokes, and Ryanair allowed me to travel without any problem.

“On my return journey, there was confusion over my booking name, and I was refused boarding. I explained the situation to the Ryanair staff member.

“I explained that I had just attended one of the saddest funerals of my life and was simply trying to get home to my family. Her response?

“‘That’s not my problem. What do you want me to do about it? I couldn’t believe the attitude.

“There was absolutely no compassion, understanding or willingness to help. We have no problem accepting responsibility when I’m wrong.

“We were three minutes late checking in, and we paid the money. But where is the same accountability when an airline causes passengers serious inconvenience? What hurt me most wasn’t even the money.

“It was the way I was spoken to, the complete lack of compassion and the feeling that we were treated like we didn’t matter.. “Nobody should be spoken to or treated like that.

“All I wanted was to attend a family funeral, support my cousin and get home safely. I was absolutely exhausted.

“Between the sadness of the funeral and everything that happened with my flights, it’s been a very difficult and emotional week for me. Ryanair, is this really how you treat loyal customers?”

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “The first and surname on a passenger’s booking must match the first and surname on their travel documents. The passport that Mr Stokes presented at the boarding gate in Stansted did not match the first name on his booking for this Stansted to Dublin flight (14 October). Ryanair offers passengers a 24-hour grace period to correct minor spelling errors on bookings free of charge or full name changes up to two hours before scheduled departure (subject to a fee).

“Unfortunately, Mr. Stokes did not avail of either option and presented at the boarding gate in Stansted with a passport that did not match the name on his booking.”

For more information on names on travel documents, visit the Ryanair website’s section on the subject.

RYANAIR is axing 20 routes from two European airports this winter – including one route from a city in the UK.

The airline has said the increase in aviation tax has resulted in the cancellation of over one million seats.

From its winter 2026/2027 schedule, Ryanair will no longer fly certain routes to and from Brussels South Charleroi and Brussels Airport at Zaventem.

It will be withdrawing six of its aircraft from the two bases and relocating them to other European airports.

The UK that will be affected is between Newcastle and Brussels Charleroi.

Looking at its website, the route remans on sale up until January 22.

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The last outgoing flight is from Newcastle at 4.25pm with fares starting from £21.99.

The last inbound flight from Brussels to Newcastle is at 7.30pm with prices from £214.99.

At Brussels Airport in Zaventem, The Brussels Times reported that the only Ryanair route that will remain will be to Dublin.

By January 2027, the price of aviation tax will have risen by 50 percent going from €2 (£1.68) in January 2025 to €7 (£5.87) in January 2027.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary called the measure a “failed and stupid initiative.”

According to reports, eight routes will be discontinued from Brussels Airport in Zaventem.

Meanwhile, 12 routes will be cut from Brussels South Charleroi Airport.

This comes after Ryanair recently announced it would be cancelling all flights to Bremen in Germany.

Currently, Ryanair offers daily flights from London Stansted to Bremen for as little as £15.

But in a new announcement, these will come to an end in April 2027.

On the Ryanair website, it appears tickets for the final flights to Bremen are scheduled for March 27, 2027.

Passengers were not happy after airline Ryanair poked fun at one type of passenger onboard their planes – encouraging them the ‘stop’ making a key mistake onboard

Ryanair has hit out at passengers who make one key mistake when traveling on one of their planes for a short haul flight. This follows the airline previously advising passengers to ‘please stop wearing’ jeans during flights.

When flying many people have three basic priorities, having a good seat, being as comfortable as possible while onboard, and spending as little money as possible. And while remaining seated in the same spot for extended periods can be decidedly uncomfortable, particularly when you’re short on legroom, people have started to take further steps to help pass time while onboard aeroplanes.

With cabin humidity on many commercial flights dropping below 20%, which is drier than a desert, many people opt to take facemasks, moisturiser and eye cream onboard in their hand luggage.

The thought behind the process it to prevent passenger’s skin from feeling tight, dull, or irritated upon arrival. Ryanair has established a reputation on social media, where they frequently poke fun at their own passengers, and jokingly threaten to introduce even more regulations and charges than they currently impose – such as extra legroom seats or late check-in fees.

What shouldn’t passengers do when on a short haul flight with Ryanair?

Nevertheless, Ryanair has now criticised travellers who insist on keeping their skin moisturised while onboard one of their aircrafts. Posting on their Facebook page, the airline issued a statement to their passengers.

They wrote: “Stop doing skincare onboard, it’s a 2-hour flight.” However, many passengers were furious with the airline and quickly flocked to the comment section to express their own views.

One person said: “Stop measuring my bag with a ruler like it’s national security, it’s a 2-hour flight.”

A second person added: “Please tell the cabin crew to put a smile on their face – It’s just a 2-hour flight.”

A third added: “Carry on like this and I’ll allow my husband to bring his foot file and use it on our trip over to UK on the November 5.”

A fourth said: “What are these bizarre Ryanair posts about?! You’d think their marketing team would manage social media in a more sophisticated way?!”

Others, however, commented on the post to express their own bugbears on short haul flights.

One person said: “Travel pillows for 1-2 hour flights still intrigue me more than skincare.”

A second added: “Skincare? I’ve actually seen a man clipping his nails! This should be strictly prohibited under financial sanctions!”

A third said: “Don’t start clapping before the plane has even landed!”

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Ryanair and Jet2 have similar policies

Passengers flying with certain airlines including Ryanair and Jet2 will need to produce an additional document in order to be allowed to board, according to the terms and conditions outlined on both carriers’ websites.

NHS guidelines state that most women can fly safely well into their pregnancy, providing they take the necessary precautions, such as securing adequate travel insurance. It is advised that travellers ensure their policy covers all potential eventualities, including pregnancy-related medical care during labour, premature birth, and the cost of amending the return journey date should labour occur.

While each airline has its own specific guidance, their policies concerning pregnant women flying at various stages are broadly similar. For example, beyond a certain point in their pregnancy, women travelling with Ryanair and Jet2 will be required to produce a medical document or face being refused boarding.

Ryanair

Ryanair’s guidance states that “you may fly up to 28 weeks of pregnancy” and once a pregnancy reaches week 28 “you will need to carry a completed ‘fit to fly’ letter from your doctor/midwife”. Further details on its website add: “If you have a single pregnancy, travel is not permitted beyond the end of the 36th week of your pregnancy; For a twin/triplet pregnancy, a ‘fit to fly’ letter is required between 28-32 weeks, and travel is not permitted beyond the end of the 32nd week of pregnancy.

“If you have any doubts about your suitability to fly or if you have had any complications while pregnant, please consult your doctor before booking your flights.”

Jet2

Jet2’s policy echoes this, and reads: “We are not able to carry expectant mothers after: the end of the 35th week of pregnancy in the case of a single pregnancy; or – the end of the 33rd week of pregnancy in the case of multiple pregnancies (for example twins).

“After the end of the 27th week of pregnancy, expectant mothers must provide us with a doctor’s certificate confirming their stage of pregnancy and that they are fit to fly, failing which we reserve the right to refuse carriage. This certificate needs to be dated within 7 days of the outbound date of travel and 16 days of the inbound date of travel.”

easyJet

easyJet’s guidance is comparable, noting “you are able to travel until quite late into your pregnancy” while adding: “If you have experienced any complications during your pregnancy, you should consult your medical practitioner before flying with us.

“You can travel up to the end of the 35th week for single pregnancies. If you are expecting more than one baby you can travel up to the end of the 32nd week”.

Expectant mothers wishing to travel with an infant on their lap are permitted to do so.

Ryanair services daily direct flights on the route for just £15 but from April next year, layovers will now be required for those wanting to fly to fly from the UK to this city

Ryanair plans to cut all flights to a European airport next year. From April 2027, Europe’s biggest budget airline will no longer fly to Bremen in Germany.

This will axe around 500,000 seats. At present, Ryanair services daily flights on the route from London Stansted to Bremen for just £15. The airline’s website appears to have tickets for the final flights to Bremen scheduled for March 27, 2027.

Layovers will now be required for those wanting to fly to Bremen from the UK, as there will be no direct links after Ryanair stops providing flights on this route.

Ryanair previously announced it would be cancelling 24 routes to and from Germany, cutting 800,000 seats in total. Nine airports will be affected by the decision, affecting major cities and popular with tourist spots:

• Berlin
• Hamburg
• Memmingen
• Baden-Württemberg
• Cologne
• Frankfurt-Hahn
• Dortmund
• Dresden
• Leipzig

Earlier this year Ryanair said it will be reducing its flight schedule to and from Berlin by 50 per cent.

CEO Eddie Wilson subsequently said that Germany’s aviation market is “broken”. He also said it “needs an urgent fix.”

“As a result of these high government taxes/fees (the highest in Europe), and Lufthansa’s high-fare monopoly, German citizens/visitors now pay the highest air fares in Europe,” Mr Wilson said.

RYANAIR is cancelled all flights to a European airport next year, – which works out to half a million seats.

As of early 2027, the airline will no longer fly to the German city of Bremen.

Currently, Ryanair offers daily flights from London Stansted to Bremen for as little as £15.

But in a new announcement, these will come to an end in April 2027.

On the Ryanair website, it appears tickets for the final flights to Bremen are scheduled for March 27, 2027.

The German city is known for its maritime history and gothic look that some often say looks ‘fairytale-like’.

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With Ryanair withdrawing the route, there will be no direct links to Bremen from the UK.

Those wanting to visit the German city will have to take stopover flights which can take over double the time.

The shortest is with KLM, which has a stopover in Amsterdam and takes three hours and 20minutes.

Last year, Ryanair announced it would be dropping 24 routes to and from Germany, cutting nearly 800,000 seats in total.

It was revealed that nine airports would be affected, along with the plans of those wanting a winter break, and including major cities that are popular with tourists.

These are:

• Berlin
• Hamburg
• Memmingen
• Baden-Württemberg
• Cologne
• Frankfurt-Hahn
• Dortmund
• Dresden
• Leipzig

In April of this year, the airline confirmed it would be reducing its flight schedule to and from Berlin by 50 per cent.

Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson said back in August: “Germany’s air travel market is broken and needs an urgent fix.

“As a result of these high government taxes/fees (the highest in Europe), and Lufthansa’s high-fare monopoly, German citizens/visitors now pay the highest air fares in Europe.”

NEARLY 30 new routes are being launched by Ryanair next summer.

The budget airline has revealed all of the new flights, and they start from £14.99.

While some of the destinations are between European airports, there are a number of new UK routes.

This includes Birmingham, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Leeds.

The full list of new UK routes are:

• Birmingham to Wroclaw
• Bournemouth to Porto
• East Midlands to Gdansk
• Exeter to Porto
• Leeds Bradford to Tirana
• Newcastle to Reus
• Newcastle to Rhodes

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While none of the routes are new for Brits, more routes also mean lower prices.

The flights are already on sale, with the cheaper options if you book sooner rather than later.

Ryanair CMO Dara Brady, said: “These are the first of our new Summer 2027 routes to go on sale, with more exciting additions to be announced as Ryanair continues to expand Europe’s largest route network.

“Customers looking to secure the lowest fares for their Summer 2027 travel should head to the Ryanair app/website and book now to get ahead of the curve.”

A MAJOR airport has been hit by strike action with thousands of passengers facing cancelled strikes.

Ground handling group, Alyzia, are taking part in a national strike which affects airlines like Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Air Arabia and United Airlines.

The airport expects only half of the flights handled by Alyzia to operate as planned.

Brussels Airport said that airlines working with Alyzia have contacted passengers directly to inform them about the status of their flight and their options.

It added: “We regret the inconvenience caused by this union action.”

The strike action comes as workers protest against governmental policies.

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According to FlightRadar which monitors movements of planes, Brussels Airport has had 103 cancellations today and 34 flights have been delayed.

As this strike is outside the control of individual airlines, it will be deemed an ‘extraordinary circumstance’, which means if your flight is cancelled you will not be entitled to compensation.

Public transport is also expected to be disrupted in Brussels today too.

The good news for Brits is that flights handled by Aviapartner will not be affected.

This includes major airlines serving UK destinations such as British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Tui, and Wizz Air.

The airport told The Independent that around 400 flights will still operate as usual today.

Flight compensation rules

A look at your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled, when your entitled to compensation and if your travel insurance can cover the costs.

What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?

Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.

If you’re flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight.

You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven’t used yet.

So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.

But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.

When am I not entitled to compensation?

The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.

Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.

Some airlines may stretch the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?

If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you.

Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.

Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.

If your flight is cancelled entirely, you’re unlikely to be covered by your insurance.

EASYJET is the latest airline to cut flights from its winter schedule in order to manage fuel costs.

The airline in total has now cut almost 1.4million seats between October 2026 and March 2027.

EasyJet usually offers around 50million flights over the winter season.

But earlier this year it announced 700,000 flights would be axed from the schedule.

And now almost another 700,000 flights have been cut with latest axing meaning it’s had a reduction of two days’ worth of flying, according to Gurufocus.

Talking to the Financial Times, chief executive Kenton Jarvis explained that easyJet would be scaling back capacity over certain months so that it could avoid paying high fuel costs.

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Kenton Jarvis added that cutting capacity is something which is happening “across all competitors” and that it’s “no surprise” given the fuel costs.

Cutting capacity means that the airline can “reduce its use of more expensive fuel”.

It comes shortly after Ryanair announced it would be axing two million seats this winter due to rising fuel costs.

In a statement, the airline said “Subject to pricing and passenger demand, Ryanair expects this one-off winter schedule cut to reduce [November 2026 – March 2027 losses] by €70 million to €100 million (£85.8million).”

The two million seats works out to as many as 13,000 flights, although which routes will be affected is yet to be confirmed.

Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, also added that flight costs are likely to increase next year too.

Talking about 2027, Michael O’Leary said that flight prices were “only going one way”, which is “significantly upward”.

He added: “Fares for Ryanair passengers and every other passenger into the summer of 2027 are going to rise materially, I believe, because of significantly higher oil prices.”

Sun Travel has approached easyJet for comment.

BRITS heading to or from one major European airport on Friday are set for travel chaos.

Strikes at Brussels Airport in Belgium, are set to cancel around 140 flights on October 9 as ground handling staff walk out.

The strike will be nationwide with the ground handling company Alyzia joining the walkout.

Alyzia provides ground handling services including baggage processing and passenger aircraft ground support for around 20 airlines at the airport.

These include Brussels Airlines – the airport’s main carrier – as well as ITA Airways, Air Arabia and United Airlines.

For passengers flying with these airlines, delays and cancellations may occur.

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However, if you are due to fly with the likes of Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air or British Airways – ground handling for these airlines is carried out by another provider at the airport.

The strike action comes as workers protest against governmental policies.

Public transport is also expected to be disrupted in Brussels.

Unfortunately, as this strike is outside of the airline’s control it will be deemed an ‘extraordinary circumstance’, which means if your flight is cancelled you will not be entitled to compensation.

However, airlines do still have a duty of care to passengers.

This means that they should rebook or refund your flight free of charge as well as provide you with food and drink, as well as accommodation if required.

NEW rules are being rolled out for Ryanair passengers next month.

From November 10, the budget airline will close its check in desk much earlier.

Rather than closing 40 minutes before a flight, it will now close 60 minutes before a flight.

Ryanair claims this is to allow passengers “more time to get through security”.

This comes after a summer of chaos due to the new biometric EES checks which resulted in three-hour queues and even missed flights.

The new rules will of course only apply to passengers checking in a bag or suitcase.

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Anyone travelling with just hand luggage won’t be affected.

The airline claims this is as many as 80 per cent of passengers who don’t ever have checked bags.

But anyone who likes to rock up to their flight and still check a suitcase at the last minute will be in for a shock.

Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said: “This will allow these 20% of our customers (who check in a bag) more time to clear through airport security and passport queues, and get to their departure gate on-time, especially during busy travel periods when some of these airport queues can be longer.”

More self-check in machines have since been rolled out as well in a bid to speed up the process.

Last year, the airline scrapped printed boarding passes and now requires all passengers to use mobile ones instead.

Many of us own one of these common colours for a suitcase but it is worth following simple advice that will stop any problems from arising

Ryanair continues to grow, with the airline carrying a record 208.4 million passengers in its latest full financial year – a four per cent increase on the previous year. However, the budget airline has also been cutting back at some European airports, with Ryanair withdrawing or reducing flights in certain locations.

The airline has pointed to factors including aviation taxes and airport charges. Despite this, the UK remains a key part of Ryanair’s expansion plans.

Its winter 2026 schedule includes 435 routes, with three new services from London Stansted and a new route between London Luton and Venice. A further 18 new routes have also been added from other UK airports.

As Brits gear up to the October half term holidays and winter, Ryanair has issued a warning to passengers who typically fly with black, navy or grey suitcases, urging them to ‘change’ their luggage to avoid any confusion when they land.

The budget carrier advised travellers to make their checked-in bags more distinctive on the carousel given the prevalence of these colours.

What Ryanair says

As reports the Express, Ryanair said: “Make it easier to spot your checked-in luggage on the carousel, especially if your luggage is black, navy or grey (like 99.9 percent of the population). Add a colourful luggage tag or ribbon to the handle so that there’s no confusion on arrival.”

Ryanair also recommends passengers create copies of their passport, driving licence, and/or ID card and email them to themselves.

It’s also suggested to photograph these documents and store them on your phone for offline access at your destination,

The well-known budget carrier transports an impressive 52 million passengers to and from the UK annually with its fleet of 107 UK-based aircraft.

In June, Ryanair experienced a spike in passenger numbers with 19.3 million people opting to fly with them across one of their 106,000 flights. This marked the first occasion the airline transported more than 19 million travellers and an 11 per cent rise compared to June 2023.

The airline also pulled out all the stops for England fans during the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 run, laying on over 1,500 extra seats to and from Berlin for the cup final.

On a separate note, if you’re on the hunt for stylish cabin bags and suitcases, Antler is well worth a look. Their Iconic Stripe Case, retailing at £175, is available in seven gorgeous colours, including mist blue.

AN island in Europe has already lost thousands of tourists after Ryanair axed all flights there earlier this year.

The budget airline previously operated flights to the Azores in Portugal, having launched in 2015.

However, they confirmed last year that they would be scrapping them all with the last flight taking place on March 28.

The cancellations were due to airport fees, Ryanair said, as well as environment taxes in Europe.

The removal of Ryanair flights – which also included a number of routes from the UK – has left just British Airways operating flights, along with European airlines TAP and Azores Airlines.

Most of these operate from mainland Portugal.

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And new figures have found that the loss of Ryanair passengers has seen a drop in tourists of 100,000 already.

According to the Regional Statistics Service of the Azores (SREA), passengers arriving at the island airport dropped by 103,766 between April and August.

And there are fears this could increase even more, with projections of up to “391,000 overnight stays” lost a year.

Brits wanting to fly to the island from the UK can now only fly with British Airways, which runes flights from London Heathrow between April and October.

Otherwise alternative routes are to fly to Portugal with a connecting flight from Lisbon or Faro.

Ryanair gave an update on Friday morning

Budget carrier Ryanair has issued an update, confirming that it cancelled 1,000 flights.

It partly attributed the recent “collapse” of Britain’s air traffic control system for the scrapping more than 1,000 flights in September. The Irish airline said the cancellations stemmed from two separate air traffic control (ATC) failures within a fortnight of one another last month, alongside ATC strikes in Belgium and widespread disruption across Europe caused by volcanic ash clouds from eruptions at Mount Etna.

The head of Britain’s National Air Traffic Services (Nats), Martin Rolfe, has faced mounting calls to quit following a string of air traffic failures that led to thousands of flight cancellations across the industry last month, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.

The most recent incident was triggered by a “connectivity issue” at its Prestwick centre in Scotland, which was unrelated to an ATC software fault on September 8 that sparked widespread travel chaos.

Ryanair has been among those demanding Mr Rolfe’s resignation, while Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has arranged a meeting with Nats chairman Sir Warren East, the former chief executive of Rolls-Royce, in the coming weeks to address the ongoing issues.

Latest Ryanair figures

Ryanair’s most recent traffic statistics revealed the airline operated over 111,700 flights last month, carrying 20.1 million passengers, a rise of 4% year on year. Wizz Air also released passenger data showing a 24% increase year on year in passengers flown last month, reaching 7.78 million, with capacity up 25.3%.

Yet Wizz announced recently it would slash its flight schedule by 5% over the second half of 2026 owing to broader Iran war pressures on the travel sector and spiralling fuel costs.

Following the latest disruption, easyJet said it “calls into question the resilience of Nats’ systems” and Jet2 said customers and airlines need “action, accountability and proper resilience”.

Calls to resign

On September 21, chief operations officer for Ryanair Neal McMahon said: “Martin Rolfe has presided over repeated system failures, repeated passenger disruption and repeated failures to deliver an effective back-up system.

“Enough is enough. Martin Rolfe should resign today.”

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of industry body Airlines UK, said ATC was “critical national infrastructure” which “must be resilient enough to keep people moving”.

He added: “Yet another Nats failure is causing delays and disruption for passengers and airlines alike, and comes just days after its report into the most recent major outage. Passengers and airlines deserve better and the independent CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) report, together with the forthcoming Civil Aviation Bill, must address the underlying weaknesses in the system so that these failures stop happening.”

In most cases the amount received is £350 per passenger

Passengers who have travelled with Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and other carriers should check whether they are owed payouts worth hundreds of pounds. A single quick check could land you around £350 per person.

Jetting off on holiday is an exhilarating experience, but it’s not without its headaches. From packing and checking in to rounding up everyone’s passports, there’s no shortage of tasks to tick off. And the last thing you need is a delayed flight on top of all this.

Many flights suffer only minor delays, and pilots can often claw back some time once airborne. But if your flight is “significantly” delayed, you could be in line for compensation.

In a video on its website, the UK Civil Aviation Authority explains: “If you’re flying from a UK airport or coming back on a UK airline and are significantly delayed, your airline must look after you with food, drink, a way to communicate, such as access to a phone or email, and if you’re delayed overnight, a hotel and transport.

“This applies after two hours for short flights, three hours for medium distances, and four hours for long haul. If you can’t get help, remember to keep those receipts for any reasonable costs and claim them back later.

“If your flight arrives at the gate more than three hours late, you might get compensation from £220 for short flights up to £520 for long haul.”

Compensation is set at £220 per passenger for journeys up to 1,500km, and £350 per passenger for flights spanning 1,500-3,500km, when delays exceed three hours. For destinations beyond 3,500km, passengers receive £260 each for delays of 3-4 hours, rising to £520 per passenger if the hold-up stretches past four hours.

The majority of popular UK traveller routes on Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 typically fall within the 1,500-3,500km bracket, meaning the £350 per passenger threshold applies. That said, these regulations don’t cover circumstances beyond the airline’s control, such as severe weather conditions.

IF you are thinking about where to go this winter, then you are in luck because Ryanair is adding 22 destinations to its flight schedule.

Routes include Europe as well as a much-loved winter sun spot in Africa.

Four of the new routes will be from London airports including from London Stansted to Glasgow in Scotland, Malmo in Sweden and Parma in Italy.

A new service to Venice, Italy will then also operate from London Luton Airport.

Five new routes will be added to both Liverpool and Birmingham airports.

From Liverpool, you’ll be able to head to Copenhagen, Gdansk, Porto, Tirana and Warsaw.

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Then from Birmingham you’ll be able to head to Copenhagen, Rome Fiumicino in Italy and Marrakech in Morocco which is perfect for winter sun – with some of these flights costing as little as £14.99 per person, per-way.

And there are other lesser-known destinations where you won’t find the crowds experienced elsewhere in Europe such as Tirana in Albania and Warsaw Modlin in Poland.

The airline has also announced that it is increasing the amount of flights departing Manchester Airport to 26 destinations including Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Madrid in Spain.

It comes as the airline’s boss Michael O’Leary also warned of flight prices rising next year.

At a press conference last week, he said: “Fares for Ryanair passengers and every other passenger into the summer of 2027 are going to rise materially, I believe, because of significantly higher oil prices.

“I have no doubt fares are rising next year. The question is by how much.”

The airline also announced recently that it was axing even more seats that are equal to around 13,000 flights.

In 2025, France lost 25 routes and some 750,000 seats last winter and in Brussels, Ryanair axed 20 routes and cut one million seats across Brussels-Zaventem and Brussels South Charleroi airports.