Major Travel Disruption Hit Europe as Ryanair, Air France, Vueling and Others Cancel 98 Flights and Cause Multiple Delays in Belgium, Spain, France, Scotland and England, Hitting Brussels, Barcelona, Paris, Glasgow and Manchester, New Update

Published on November 27, 2025

A major wave of travel disruptions hit Europe today, dramatically impacting five key airports. Suddenly, the aviation industry faced widespread cancellations and delays. The core data shows a startling 98 flights were canceled and 293 others were significantly delayed. Consequently, passengers traveling to or from Belgium, Spain, France, Scotland and England experienced immediate turmoil. Brussels South Charleroi saw the worst of the cancellations. Furthermore, several major airlines drove this chaos. Specifically, Ryanair incurred the bulk of the cancellations. Simultaneously, Air France and Vueling Airlines contributed heavily to the widespread delays in cities like Barcelona, Paris, Glasgow and Manchester. Therefore, travelers must now navigate a complex web of re-bookings and long waits. This situation has certainly created massive logistical headaches across the continent.

Major Airports Affected

Five international airports were reported to be grappling with major operational setbacks. The airports affected serve some of the most prominent metropolitan areas in Europe, underscoring the severity of the travel disruption.

The most profound impact was registered at Brussels South Charleroi Airport (serving Brussels, Belgium), where an overwhelming 83 flight cancellations were recorded. Notably, no delays were officially reported at this location, suggesting the difficulties manifested almost entirely as grounded aircraft. This single airport accounted for nearly 85% of all cancellations documented in the data.

Conversely, significant delay totals were documented at other major hubs. Charles de Gaulle/Roissy Airport (Paris, France) endured the highest number of delays, with 145 flights affected, alongside 3 cancellations. Similarly, operations at Manchester Airport (Manchester, England) were heavily slowed, with 69 reported delays supplementing 2 cancellations.

In Spain, Barcelona-El Prat Airport reported a balanced, though considerable, impact, with 55 delays and 8 cancellations being registered today. Finally, the disruption was also felt in Scotland, where Glasgow Airport recorded 24 delays and 2 cancellations. The figures clearly illustrate that while cancellations were centrally focused in Belgium, delays were widely distributed across France, England, Spain and Scotland.

Impacted Airlines

The total cancellations and delays were attributed to eight different airlines, with a few carriers bearing the overwhelming brunt of the disruption. The largest overall impact was registered by Ryanair, which was affected across three of the five reported airports.

A total of 71 cancellations and 12 delays were recorded across Ryanair’s network in the provided data. Of the 83 cancellations in Belgium, 68 were specifically attributed to Ryanair’s operations at Brussels South Charleroi. The same airport also saw 13 cancellations attributed to Waltzing Matilda Aviation and 2 cancellations to Buzz.

In Spain, Vueling Airlines was found to be the most affected carrier, accounting for 7 of the 8 cancellations and 21 of the 55 delays at Barcelona Int’l. Ryanair was also implicated at Barcelona with 1 cancellation and 3 delays and further reported 2 cancellations and 9 delays at Manchester.

At Charles de Gaulle/Roissy, the most significant disruption was imposed by delays. Air France was responsible for 75 of the 145 delays and 1 cancellation. Delta Air Lines and Air Baltic were also affected, each being responsible for 1 cancellation and a few subsequent delays (3 for Delta and 1 for Air Baltic). Lastly, all 2 cancellations at Glasgow Int’l were attributed to BA CityFlyer. This airline data confirms that the operational problems were experienced across both low-cost and legacy carriers operating within Europe.

Beyond these specific figures, delays were being experienced by several other Airlines.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

Considerable strain is expected to be placed upon the local tourism and hospitality sectors in the cities directly served by these airports. The extraordinary volume of 83 cancellations impacting Brussels South Charleroi in Belgium indicates that the travel plans of a large number of inbound and outbound passengers were definitively halted. This scale of cancellation is understood to necessitate mass rebooking, accommodation and transportation arrangements, thereby putting pressure on hotels, ground transport providers and alternative flight services in the Brussels and Charleroi areas.

Similarly, the substantial accumulation of 145 delays registered at Charles de Gaulle in Paris, France, suggests significant congestion and prolonged wait times were experienced by travelers, potentially impacting onward travel connections and pre-booked city tours or accommodations. Though not outright cancellations, the delays effectively reduce the amount of time tourists have in the city and can cause the loss of non-refundable tourism-related expenditures.

In Spain’s Barcelona and England’s Manchester, the combined effect of cancellations and high delay numbers (55 and 69, respectively) will inevitably have caused complications for visitors and local businesses relying on tourism traffic. The data confirms that multiple European nations were affected by this widespread operational setback. The extent of the disruption in Scotland (Glasgow) is also noted, where 24 delays and 2 cancellations were reported, impacting passenger flow through the region. The immediate financial consequences, which include refund processes and compensation claims, are expected to be substantial for the impacted airlines.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose flights were cancelled or significantly delayed are advised to immediately review their legal entitlements. Affected travelers should be contacted by their respective airlines concerning rebooking options, but proactive steps are also recommended.

Firstly, the most essential action is to verify the precise status of the affected flight. All necessary documentation pertaining to the initial booking, the cancellation notice and any communication with the airline must be diligently retained. This paperwork will be required for any future claim submission.

In cases where flights were cancelled, passengers should be offered an alternative flight to their final destination or a full refund. Should the airline be unable to provide accommodations, passengers are advised to keep detailed receipts for any necessary expenses that were incurred, such as meals and hotel stays. Since the operational difficulties were widely reported across multiple airports in Europe, passengers should anticipate that airline customer service channels may be experiencing unusually high volumes of calls. Patience is urged, but persistence in securing an alternative flight or compensation is advised. Due to the high number of disruptions, professional claims assistance may be sought by passengers who feel that their case is not being adequately addressed.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.