ONGOING cancellations by EasyJet at Belfast International Airport have forced the airline to issue yet another apology after young Cliftonville footballers feared they would miss a tournament as a result of their flight being axed.
The budget airline pulling flights has led to passengers being stranded at the airport in recent weeks, with 12 flights to and from the Aldergrove hub cancelled last Thursday alone. Four days earlier hundreds were impacted after EasyJet flights to and from destinations including London Gatwick and Bristol were pulled.
EasyJet has blamed IT issues.
Last Friday saw the Under-7s squad of Cliftonville FC fear they would miss out on a tournament at the stadium of West Bromwich Albion after their flight to Birmingham was cancelled less than an hour before it was due to take off.
A spokesperson for the airline said: "We fully understand the disruption this will have caused to their plans and we are very sorry for this," adding that passengers were "provided with options to rebook or receive a refund".
Despite the panic, the young players were able to make it to the Play on the Pitch tournament "thanks to the resolve and initiative of the coaches and parents", a Cliftonville spokesperson said.
"With the help of airport staff, the travelling party were rebooked on to three separate flights to Gatwick before taking the train from London to Birmingham, where they arrived much later than originally scheduled but in plenty of time to have a good night’s sleep before taking to the pitch this morning," the spokesperson said in a statement posted to social media on Saturday.
They added the club was proud "of the enthusiasm and application of our dedicated coaching team and the players’ parents who, rather than take the easy option of simply accepting that fate had conspired against them, went above and beyond to ensure that our stars of the future didn’t have their dreams dashed".
Yesterday saw further EasyJet cancellations at Belfast International Airport, with flights from Gatwick and Edinburgh pulled.
