Jet2 flight cancellation warning to UK holidaymakers travelling to Italy amid Sicily airport fire

Jet2 has issued a warning to UK holidaymakers travelling to Italy after an airport fire has forced some flights to be cancelled.

The budget airline has said Catalina Airport in Sicily is expected to be closed “for a period of time” after a fire broke out in the terminal building over the weekend.

The damage caused by the blaze has meant urgent repairs need to be carried out which will impact some flights travelling to and from Sicily (Catania) over the coming weeks.

In an update to passengers on Wednesday (19 July), Jet2 said it has been left with “no option” but to withdraw and cancel all its flights to Catania until Thursday 3 August. Passengers affected by the cancellations will be issued with a refund.

The airline said: “Unfortunately, the fire at Catania Airport has caused severe damage to the terminal building, significantly impacting operations.

“We have been working hard to make other arrangements so that you can travel on your well-deserved holiday, but despite these efforts, we are now unfortunately left with no option but to withdraw and cancel all our flights to Catania until Thursday 3rd August 2023 (inclusive).

“If this applies to your booking with us, although, this is beyond our control, we would like to offer our sincere apologies for this.

“If you are affected by this change we will now process a refund for your holiday or flight booking. Please allow up to seven days for this to reach your original payment method. We are very sorry for any inconvenience.

“If you would like assistance rebooking, please contact us on 0800 408 0778 and we will be happy to help. Lines open 08:30 – 20:30 (UK local times).

“Once again, we apologise for this change that is unfortunately beyond our control and we thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.”

As for passengers due to travel home from Catania up to 3 August, Jet2 said it has been working hard to make other arrangements.

The airline will be operating return flights that were due to leave Catania between 19 July to 25 July from Trapani Airport. Jet2 said anyone due to travel during this date range will be contacted by its operations team “in due course” with options.

Flights due to depart Catania to the UK from 26 July and 3 August have been cancelled. Affected customers will be sent details on their booking to provide them with travel options.

Jet2 said: “Please be assured that if you are a Jet2.com flight only booking communication will be sent to the details on your booking to provide you with your options. If you are on a Jet2holiday due to return during this date range, our resort team will be in contact with details of your revised return flights in due course.

“Please make sure your contact details are up to date in manage my booking and your mobile number is correct so you receive these updates.”

The cancellations come as holidaymakers face the possibility of further flight disruption this summer due to Air Traffic Control (ATC) strikes in Europe. Strikes, staff shortages and air space closures related to the war in Ukraine mean ATC providers are now limiting flight numbers across Europe, with flights from major airports such as Gatwick being capped as a result.

A trade union representing staff at Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace, is threatening to take industrial action in a row over issues such as recruitment, management and rosters, meaning UK holidaymakers face major uncertainty over whether their summer getaways will be delayed or cancelled. The Times reported it was told by an aviation source that up to 12,600 flights across Europe could be disrupted every day during strike action.

Eurocontrol confirmed it had received the union’s letter earlier this month and said in a statement: “No specific dates for industrial action have been announced. This was only a pre-warning. Eurocontrol is in ongoing dialogue with USB and all the other trade unions to discuss the situation and we are hopeful of a positive outcome.”

The government agency recently warned that demand from airlines “might get close to capacity” for ATC in large parts of Europe, including London, Brussels and Madrid, with Fridays and weekends expected to be at the greatest risk of disruption.

Jet2 has said it will board all its flights for an on time departure during ATC strikes and will work to minimise any prolonged waiting times on board to ensure any impact is kept to a minimum.

Meanwhile, rival airline easyJet has been forced to cancel 1,700 summer flights scheduled between July and September due to ATC restrictions, affecting around 180,000 passengers.

A statement from the airline said: “We are currently operating up to around 1,800 flights and carrying around 250,000 customers per day with more crew and pilots flying than ever before and like all airlines, we review our flights on an ongoing basis.

“As Eurocontrol has stated, the whole industry is seeing challenging conditions this summer with more constrained air space due to the war in Ukraine resulting in unprecedented ATC delays, as well as further potential ATC strike action.

“We have therefore made some pre-emptive adjustments to our programme consolidating a small number of flights at Gatwick, where we have multiple daily frequencies, in order to help mitigate these external challenges on the day of travel for our customers, and we continue to operate around 90,000 flights over this period.

“Customers whose flights are affected are being informed, with 95% of customers being rebooked onto an alternative flight and all customers provided with the option to rebook or receive a refund. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused.”