EasyJet mistakenly sends email saying flights cancelled 'due to Israel'

Panicked EasyJet customers dashed to book alternative routes for their holidays this week after the low-cost carrier mistakenly sent an email saying some flights had been cancelled "due to evolving events in Israel".

Passengers for flights on 30 April from Belfast to Faro, Corfu, Luton and Newcastle, Edinburgh to Bristol, Geneva and Santorini, London Stansted to Glasgow, and Glasgow to London Gatwick - all thousands of miles from Gaza and Israel - were sent emails two days earlier telling them of the cancellations, according to The Mirror.

Another email was sent out by EasyJet shortly after informing customers of the error.

EasyJet admitted to accidentally emailing some customers saying their flights had been cancelled due to events in the Middle East - where Israel has launched a bloody assault on Gaza killing 34,000 people - but this came too late for many alarmed customers who had already rebooked a second flight thinking their original route was no longer valid.

The mishap led to confusion among customers, worried that events in the Middle East could have impacted on their flights thousands of miles away.

"I looked at rebooking, but when I logged on to the website, there was no indication that the flight had been cancelled. After a bit of panic and frustration I went back to my coffee. By the time I had finished, a correction had been sent," one disgruntled passenger told The New Arab.

"Not sure what EasyJet is going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again, but they could start by not flying into Israel and giving money to an apartheid regime."

Some travellers took to social media worried they would be forced to pay a cancellation fee due to the mishap.

"@easyJet @easyJet_press @Easyjetproblems email/text saying flight cancelled - advise rebook AT NO EXTRA COST. I do. U then apologise 4 sending wrong email & say first flight still good. & now u want to charge cancel’n fees for 2nd flight booked. Though ur fault. Are u kidding?” one customer fumed, according to The Mirror.

EasyJet owned up to the error and urged customers to contact the airline to resolve any issues about extra payments.

"EasyJet can confirm that unfortunately, on 28 April, some customers received an incorrect notification stating that their flight on 30 April was cancelled.

"This was due to a technical error and all customers were quickly sent updated messages with a confirmation their flight is operating as normal. We would like to apologise for this and any inconvenience caused. Any customer who made alternative arrangements can contact customer services in order to resolve this for them."

The brutal assault on Gaza has seen several disruptions to air traffic since October including last month when Iran launched strikes on Israel seeing dozens of flights using Iraqi, Israeli, Syrian, Jordanian and Iranian airspace diverted via Saudi Arabia.