British Airways has cancelled at least 124 short-haul flights at Heathrow while EasyJet has cancelled at least 31 flight Gatwick, including to destinations such as Bologna, Barcelona, Prague and Edinburgh.
BA told the Telegraph that the cancellations had been pre-planned, with customers informed over the last month and a half if their flight had been affected.
"It’s been a challenging period for the entire industry and at British Airways we're completely focused on three priorities: our customers, supporting the biggest recruitment drive in our history and increasing our operational resilience," the airline said in a statement.
"We took action to reduce our schedule to help provide certainty for our customers and are giving them maximum flexibility to either rebook with us or another airline as close to their original departure time as possible, or to receive a full refund."
EasyJet have been approached for comment.
This morning, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab accused airlines of a "lack of preparation" ahead of the holiday surge.
He told Sky News: "There's clearly been a lack of preparation for that surge back of demand of holidaymakers.
"Grant Shapps has been talking to the industry for months now, saying 'This will come and that you need to make sure you've got your recruitment in place'."
Yesterday, Mr Shapps demanded a meeting with aviation bosses to find out "what's gone wrong", saying in a statement the Government had "done its part" and that airlines and ground handlers need to ensure there is no more disruption.
Mr Shapps referred to the £8 billion given to the aviation industry during the pandemic as well as legislation
introduced last month which allows new aviation recruits to begin training before passing security che
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