Ryanair has announced it will scrap 18,000 more flights on 34 routes until March 2018 – having already seen 2,000 flights grounded.
The airline has said it will remove 25 of its 400 planes from November this year, a move they claim will prevent further flight cancellations.
All affected passengers will be offered vouchers of 40 euro (£35) one way or 80 euros return (£70) which will allow them to book a flight on an alternative Ryanair service between October and March 2018, it said.
The firm has been forced into the cancellations after miscalculating pilot leave.
Taking more flights out of service means Ryanair will be able to ‘roster all of the extra pilot leave necessary’ in October, November and December, the budget airline said.
As a result, 34 routes are suspended for the winter season from November to March 2018. This could affect some 400,000 customers who have already booked flights.
It includes routes such as London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas.
Ryanair has announced it will scrap 18,000 more flights on 34 routes until March 2018
These are the 34 flight routes that will be scrapped until March 2018 following today’s announcement by Ryanair
The budget airline will also operate ten fewer aircraft from April 2018.
The flight cancellations has so far cost the airline around 25 million Euros (£21m).
In a statement Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said: ‘We sincerely apologise to those customers who have been affected by last week’s flight cancellations, or these sensible schedule changes announced today.
‘From today, there will be no more rostering related flight cancellations this winter or in summer 2018.
‘Slower growth this winter will create lots of spare aircraft and crews which will allow us to manage the exceptional volumes of annual leave we committed to delivering in the nine months to December 2017. We will start a new 12 month leave period on the 1st of Jan 2018 in full compliance with EU regulations and the IAA’s requirements.’
The firm also said that it has scrapped plans to bid for bankrupt Italian airline Alitalia in order to ‘focus on repairing this rostering problem this winter’.
Airline boss and billionaire Michael O’Leary has apologised to outraged passengers
Hannah Maundrell, editor-in-chief of money.co.uk, said the latest flight cancellations were frustrating for customers.
‘It’s so disappointing for Ryanair passengers whose flights have been cancelled, even with more notice this time it’s still seriously frustrating. Ryanair are still in a mess here, but you shouldn’t be left out of pocket,’ she said.
‘If your flight has been cancelled, ask for a refund. You should get your money back within seven days or given an alternative flight. This should also apply to connecting flights you miss as a result, as long as they were booked together.’
Ryanair had already canned 2,100 flights in the six weeks to the end of October, as it struggled with landing planes on time, reportedly mainly owing to a shortage of pilots.
Last week Mr O’Leary launched an extraordinary attack on his own pilots, claiming they did not have a difficult job.
He also scoffed at complaints from short haul pilots they are suffering from fatigue because of a packed working schedule – suggesting this must be due to their activities outside of work.
Admitting he had been a ‘clown’ and made a ‘major boo boo’ over the cancelled flights crisis which affected 315,000 passengers and left some stranded for up to nine days, Mr O’Leary also accused some pilots of being ‘precious about themselves’ and ‘full of their own self-importance’.
But despite previously claiming that an exodus of disgruntled pilots had nothing to do with its shock decision to cancel more than 2,000 flights scheduled before the end of October, Mr O’Leary revealed the firm aimed to recruit 120 new pilots within ‘the next week or two.’
The budget airline has agreed to pay for alternative flights or offer refunds to more than 300,000 affected customers, and should under European law meet the accommodation and food costs of those stranded abroad.
But people who have had to cancel their holidays before they have even begun have complained they cannot get their money back for non-refundable hotel bookings or car hire.