Edinburgh holidaymakers face cancellations and delays as easyJet, Tui and British Airways cancel flights last-minute

Thousands of passengers across the UK have had their flights cancelled at short notice over the past few days.

Many flights to and from the Scottish capital have been cancelled, including four round-trips from Heathrow to Edinburgh Airport with British Airways.

Here is everything you need to know about the travel chaos.

What airlines are cancelling flights?

Budget airline easyJet revealed several flights would be cancelled between May 28 and June 6, while British Airways has cancelled over 100 flights today.

Tui also cancelled “a small number of flights” over the weekend and delayed several others until Monday.

Why are flights being cancelled?

When easyJet first cancelled flights on Thursday, a spokesperson said the issue was down to an “IT systems issue”.

However, on Saturday, the airline said that more cancellations would be made over the half-term week, to make sure it provides reliable services over the busy period.

Tui blamed “a combination of factors causing significant operations disruptions” for the cancellations.

The chaos seems to be caused by a range of issues, including low staff levels, air traffic control restrictions, and runway works.

What have the airlines said?easyJet apologised for the cancellations, but said they were “necessary to provide reliable services over this busy period”.

On Friday, a spokesperson for the budget airline said: “We have taken the decision to make advance cancellations of around 24 Gatwick flights per day starting from 28 May until 6 June. We are very sorry for the late notice of some of these cancellations and inconvenience caused for customers booked on these flights.

“Customers are being informed from today and provided with the option to rebook their flight or receive a refund and can apply for compensation in line with regulations.

“Over the next week we will be operating around 1700 flights per day, with around a quarter of these operating to and from Gatwick.”

A Tui spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience to customers who have experienced flight delays or a flight cancellation.

“Delays have been caused due to a combination of factors and we are doing everything we can to keep customers updated, and will provide refreshments and, where appropriate, provide hotel accommodation.

“Where we have made the difficult decision to cancel a small number of flights, customers will receive a full refund within 14 days and we will contact them directly to help them try and find another holiday.

“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

What happens if your flight is cancelled?

If an airline cancels your flight, it is obliged to buy you a ticket for another flight travelling to your destination if there is one departing the same day.

When it is not possible to re-book, you should receive a full refund, and potentially even extra cash compensation.

Tui has promised to refund cancelled flights within two weeks, and also said that it will provide refreshments for delayed customers and hotel accommodation “where appropriate”.