Ryanair flights: Airline cancels 100 flights at last minute from UK airports including Birmingham and Manchester over 'inexplicable' EU strikes

Ryanair has been forced to cancel nearly 100 flights today (Thursday 6 June) due to “inexplicable” strike action. The budget airline is cancelling flights from a number of UK airports including from Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Belfast. Thousands of British holidaymakers are set to be affected by the disruption.

Ryanair bosses attacked the European Commission for being unable to prevent the strikes sweeping across Europe. It comes as French air traffic controllers have shut off Paris Beauvais Airport at short notice. This will be the 84th day of strikes since 2023.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "It is inexplicable that Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commission have failed to take action to protect EU passengers' Freedom of Movement during these repeated French ATC strikes. As a result, we have been forced to cancel almost 100 flight to/from Paris Beauvais Airport [on Thursday], unfairly disrupting thousands of EU passengers' travel plans at short notice”.

Ryanair has cancelled 100 flights from several UK airports including Birmingham and Manchester due to “inexplicable” EU strikes. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

The spokesperson continued: "EU passengers are sick and tired of suffering unnecessary cancellations during ATC strikes. The EU Commission must now act upon Ryanair's Protect Passengers - Keep EU Skies Open petition of more than 2.1m EU passengers' signatures which Ryanair delivered directly to the EU Commission offices in May, Sept and Jan last.

"There is no excuse for EU passengers to bear the burden of national ATC strikes that are completely unrelated to them and its time that Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commission do something about it."

Ryanair currently operates to Paris Beauvais Airport from Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and Belfast. It is not yet clear which flights have been cancelled, so passengers will have to check before flying.