DISRUPTION NEWS
What's disrupting flights right now — and what it means for your rights
Every event below links the disruption to the rule that decides your claim: whether the airline can rely on the “extraordinary circumstances” defence, and what it owes you either way. Caught in one of these right now? Start recording evidence.
- 2 October 2026ONGOINGStrike by the airline's own staffeasyJet Portugal cabin crew strike disrupts flights, 2 October
A strike by easyJet cabin crew in Portugal on 2 October is affecting the airline's flights at three Portuguese airports.
- 30 September 2026Strike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)Italy ENAV air traffic control strike disrupts flights, 30 September
An ENAV air traffic control strike on 30 September caused cancellations across Italy, including substantial cuts by ITA Airways.
- 23 September 2026Strike by the airline's own staffIcelandair aircraft mechanics' strike cancels morning flights, 23 September
An indefinite strike by Icelandair's own aircraft mechanics began just after midnight on 23 September and was called off the same day after the parties agreed to return to negotiations.
- 21 September 2026ATC / airport infrastructure failureNATS Prestwick technical failure disrupts Scottish airspace, 21 September
A connectivity failure in NATS systems at the Prestwick control centre cut air traffic capacity over Scotland and northern England on the morning of 21 September, delaying and cancelling flights.
- 13 September 2026Strike by the airline's own staffeasyJet pilots' strike in France, 13-14 September
easyJet pilots in France held a two-day strike on 13 and 14 September.
- 14 September 2026Severe weatherMount Etna eruption closes Catania Airport, 14-15 September
Volcanic ash from Mount Etna closed Catania Airport from the morning of 14 September until the evening of 15 September.
- 16 September 2026ONGOINGStrike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)Charleroi air traffic controllers' night strikes, 16 September to 10 October
Air traffic controllers employed by skeyes at Brussels South Charleroi Airport are striking every night from 22:00 to 08:00 for 24 consecutive nights from 16 September.
- 12 September 2026Strike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)Gatwick Wilson James workers' strike, 12-15 and 19-22 September
More than 200 Wilson James workers at Gatwick Airport plan eight days of strike action in September.
- 8 September 2026ATC / airport infrastructure failureUK air traffic control outage disrupts flights, 8-9 September
A technical failure at UK air traffic control provider NATS caused mass cancellations and continuing delays across major UK airports on 8 and 9 September.
- 5 September 2026Severe weatherSea fog causes 142 delays at Malaga Airport, 5 September
Taró sea fog disrupted operations and caused 142 flight delays at Malaga Airport.
- 5 September 2026ATC / airport infrastructure failureGatwick runway closure after Norse 787 incident, 5-6 September
A Norse Atlantic Boeing 787 rejected its take-off at London Gatwick and was left disabled on the runway, closing the airport's single runway and causing widespread delays.
- 4 September 2026Strike by the airline's own staffVolotea pilots' strike cancels six Lille flights, 4 September
A strike by Volotea pilots in France led the airline to cancel six flights serving Lille on 4 September.
- 30 August 2026Strike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)Kenya airport workers' strike disrupts flights, 30-31 August
Industrial action by aviation workers disrupted flights at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other Kenyan airports from 30 August.
- 28 August 2026Severe weatherSevere thunderstorms cause flight cancellations at Zurich Airport, 28 August
Severe thunderstorms disrupted operations and caused multiple flight cancellations at Zurich Airport on 28 August.
- 27 August 2026ATC / airport infrastructure failureLondon Luton Airport air traffic control outage after lightning strike, 27-28 August
A lightning strike disrupted air traffic control at London Luton Airport, causing cancellations and diversions before full service was restored on 28 August.
- 28 August 2026ONGOINGStrike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)Norwich Airport air traffic control dispute closes the airport, from 28 August
Air traffic controllers at Norwich Airport held a 24-hour strike on 28 August, and the underlying pay dispute has continued to close the airport for periods since.
- 21 August 2026Strike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)Norway air traffic controllers' strike, 21-24 August
Norwegian air traffic controllers struck for four days from 21 August, closing Oslo Gardermoen for five hours and cancelling more than 150 flights. An agreement on 24 August ended the strike.
- 4 August 2026ONGOINGStrike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)Barcelona El Prat ground-handling strike: indefinite walkout since 4 August, resumed 17 September
Groundforce ground staff at Barcelona-El Prat struck indefinitely from 4 August, suspended the action for talks, then resumed the indefinite strike on 17 September. Check-in, boarding and baggage for several major airlines are affected.
- 15 August 2026Strike by the airline's own staffeasyJet cabin crew strike in France, 15-16 August
easyJet cabin crew based in France walked out on 15-16 August, cancelling and delaying flights from Paris, Nice, Lyon and Bordeaux.