Thousands Of Passengers Grounded In Europe As France, England, Ireland And Scotland Cancel 161 And Delay 646 Flights, Disrupting Emerald Airlines, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Air France, And Other Airlines In Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Birmingham and Belfast City

Published on December 9, 2025

Thousands of travelers were disrupted across Europe today as widespread flight issues resulted in 161 flight cancellations and 646 delays, impacting major airlines like Emerald Airlines, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Air France, and easyJet. The operational strain affected key airports including London Heathrow, Paris CDG, Dublin, Manchester, and Glasgow, leaving passengers facing extended waits, and missed connections. The highest disruptions were concentrated at Paris CDG (177 delays, 9 cancellations), London Heathrow (168 delays, 21 cancellations), Dublin Airport (117 delays, 73 cancellations), Manchester Airport (96 delays, 12 cancellations), and several regional hubs including Birmingham, Belfast City, London City, and Glasgow. British Airways (100+ delays, 34 cancellations), easyJet (134 delays), Air France (95 delays, 3 cancellations), and Aer Lingus (69 delays, 20 cancellations) saw the greatest operational strain. Additional impacts extended to KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and other regional operators. Paris CDG, London Heathrow, Dublin, Manchester, and Glasgow were among the most affected airports, reflecting a widespread disruption spread across the UK, Ireland, and France.

• Updated today: over 646 delays and 161 cancellations were logged across major European airports.
• Emerald Airlines remained the largest cancellation driver with 87 cancellations across the UK and Ireland.
• British Airways and Aer Lingus recorded significant cancellations at London Heathrow, London City, Glasgow, and Dublin.
• Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Heathrow led delay totals with 177 and 168 delays respectively.
• Dublin Airport showed the highest cancellations, reaching 73, the largest single-airport figure today.
• easyJet counted more than 130 delays across Europe but maintained minimal cancellations.
• Ryanair reported zero cancellations despite operating heavily across Dublin, Manchester, and London.

Most Affected Europe Airports by Cancellations and Delays

Dublin International Airport (DUB)

Dublin experienced a whopping 117 delays and 73 cancellations, the highest cancellation count among all airports today. Emerald Airlines (51 cancellations) and Aer Lingus (9 cancellations) were the biggest contributors, while multiple UK-Ireland routes intensified the disruption footprint.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

London Heathrow recorded 168 delays and 21 cancellations, dominated by British Airways (13 cancellations, 76 delays) and Aer Lingus (7 cancellations). Additional delays were distributed across Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, KLM, and Air France, making LHR one of Europe’s most delay-heavy hubs today.

Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

Paris Charles de Gaulle logged 177 delays and 9 cancellations, driven by Air France (87 delays, 3 cancellations), easyJet (31 delays, 2 cancellations), and Aer Lingus (5 delays, 3 cancellations). CDG ranked second only to Heathrow in delay volumes.

Manchester Airport (MAN)

Manchester registered 96 delays and 12 cancellations, with Emerald Airlines (7 cancellations) and Emerald Airlines UK (3 cancellations) causing most of the disruption. easyJet (35 delays) and Lufthansa (2 delays) added significant operational strain.

Birmingham International Airport (BHX)

Birmingham faced 16 delays and 13 cancellations, almost entirely caused by Emerald Airlines (8 cancellations) and Emerald Airlines UK (5 cancellations). Smaller delay clusters appeared from easyJet, Pegasus, and Aer Lingus.

Airlines Most Affected by Cancellations

Emerald Airlines (All Variants)

Across Dublin, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast City, and Glasgow, Emerald Airlines reported 87 cancellations, the highest for any carrier and the most consistent disruption source in the region.

British Airways + BA CityFlyer

The British Airways group accumulated 34 cancellations, particularly across Heathrow, London City, Glasgow, and Dublin, alongside more than 100 delays, making it one of the most affected carriers operationally.

Aer Lingus (All Variants)

Aer Lingus recorded 20 cancellations and over 69 delays, heavily impacting travel through Dublin, Manchester, Heathrow, and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Air France

Air France logged 3 cancellations and 87 delays, with disruption concentrated at Charles de Gaulle and seen again at Heathrow and Dublin.

easyJet

easyJet maintained a low cancellation count (2 cancellations) but logged 134 delays, particularly at CDG, Manchester, Dublin, and Glasgow, making it a major delay-impacted airline today.

How Travellers Were Impacted at Major Airports

• Travellers faced extended wait times due to widespread ground handling delays and air traffic congestion.
• Passengers were advised to monitor airline apps frequently for real-time schedule changes.
• Those departing from affected hubs (LHR, CDG, DUB) were recommended to arrive early due to increased security queues.
• Rebooking options were limited on routes served by Emerald Airlines and Aer Lingus, requiring passengers to prepare for longer transfer windows.
• Travellers connecting through Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle were urged to anticipate missed connections due to high delay volumes.
• Passengers were encouraged to check baggage policies as delays increased the chance of luggage separation on disrupted flights.

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Overview of Europe Flight Cancellations

Today’s Europe-wide cancellation landscape was defined by significant operational strain at Dublin, London Heathrow, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Belfast City, with Emerald Airlines, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Air France, and easyJet appearing repeatedly across disruption reports. The concentration of cancellations at Dublin Airport (73 cancellations) and London Heathrow (21 cancellations) placed additional pressure on carriers such as Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Emerald Airlines, all of which faced repeated operational setbacks. As delays mounted at Paris Charles de Gaulle (177 delays) and London Heathrow (168 delays), the impact rippled across networks, affecting arrivals from Manchester, Amsterdam, Oslo, and Edinburgh. Overall, Europe’s flight cancellations today were heavily shaped by recurring operational weaknesses at major hubs and repeated disruption clusters involving Emerald Airlines, Aer Lingus, and British Airways, with Dublin, Heathrow, and Paris CDG emerging as the core disruption centres.

Image Source: AI

Source: Different airports and FlightAware