Passengers 'stranded' in Portugal as EasyJet cancels Belfast flight

Holidaymakers in Portugal say they have been left 'stranded' after EasyJet cancelled a flight from Faro to Belfast on Monday night.

Passengers, who were due to travel on the 8pm flight to Belfast International, claim no airline staff were available at the Algarve's main airport to offer assistance.

EasyJet said it was 'very sorry' for the cancellation and blamed a 'challenging operating environment'.

One passenger, Izzy, says she spent 13 hours in Faro before deciding to travel to Kerry in the Republic of Ireland.

She said she received no communication from the airline, sparking her to resort to buying a new flight.

On Monday night, she tweeted, "Our flight home from Faro cancelled at the gate, we were told to collect our baggage and then speak to @EasyJet staff at front desks. The staff told us they don't deal with it and customer service not answering?!?!"

In a statement the airline said: "EasyJet operated over 1,700 flights yesterday carrying almost 300,000 customers.

"Unfortunately, due to the challenging operating environment, yesterday’s flight EZY6796 from Faro to Belfast was cancelled.

"We are very sorry and fully understand the disruption this will have caused for our customers.

"Customers were provided with options to rebook or receive a refund as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required, along with information on how to arrange this quickly online or via the app.

"Our customer service hours and hotel accommodation sourcing have been extended to support impacted customers and help get them to their destination as soon as possible.

"Once again, we are very sorry to customers impacted by the cancellation."

The disruption is the latest in a series of issues the airline has had. In the past week numerous flights have had to be cancelled.