UK tourists issued Greece holiday warning as 'thousands' risk being 'stranded'
Greek air traffic controllers are set to ground all flights on Wednesday in a 24-hour strike during the Easter holidays.
A warning has been issued over Greece holidays - with thousands of UK tourists being left STRANDED. Greek air traffic controllers are set to ground all flights on Wednesday in a 24-hour strike during the Easter holidays.
Ryanair has said the strike has forced the cancellation of a “small number” of flights and passengers impacted by the strike will be notified. The airline advised passengers to check online for the latest information.
“Due to a Greek Air Traffic Control strike, we have been forced to cancel or make schedule changes to a small number of flights to/from Greece on Tues 08 and Wed 09 Apr. Passengers affected by these cancellations/schedule changes will be notified of their options via email,” a Ryanair spokesperson said.
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Greece is a go-to for UK tourists, with holiday islands including the likes of Kos, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, and more.
“We ask all passengers due to travel to/from Greece on Tues 08 or Wed 09 Apr to keep an eye on the Ryanair app for the latest updates," the Irish low-cost carrier has confirmed. Ryanair added: "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this strike, which is outside of our control and affects all airlines operating to/from Greece.”
Greek public sector trade union federation ADEDY is set to hold a 24-hour strike on April 9. The Greek Air Traffic Controllers’ Association has said the day of strike action comes in response to staffing shortages and outdated equipment.
The Greek Air Traffic Controllers' Association told The Independent news website this week: "Unfortunately, air traffic control in Greece is in a bad situation as we have staffing shortages and equipment problems which cause a lot of delays in the last years and will cause a lot this year as well."
They added tourism continues to rise in the country, but due to outdated surveillance and communication systems, as well as staffing shortages, there are restrictions which cannot keep up with the flight demand.
It is expected to cancel 70-80 flights from the UK, stranding 11,200-12,800 UK tourists.