Warning to anyone travelling to top European holiday destination as aviation expert speaks out on worrying trend

Your bags are packed, suncream and sunglasses are at the ready for some sun worshipping - and then your flight gets cancelled. But for travellers who are unlucky enough to have been left stranded at the departure gates, there is a small silver lining with rights you're entitled to.

However new data has now revealed which top European destinations could be most likely to face a flight cancellation when flying from airports in the UK. Aviation experts have since spoken out about cancellation 'anxiety' and issued a set of clear warnings to passengers who could find themselves stranded this season.

Analysis of flight data has uncovered that flights between London’s key hubs and Mallorca and Ibiza are most likely to be cancelled during the summer months.

The research assessed routes where a minimum of 100 flights per month are scheduled in the months of June, July and August, between an airport in the UK and European destinations. It compared the number of flight cancellations during the summer period last year.

The stats, shared with LADbible, showed that between 1 June and 31 August, six of the 105 flights departing from London Luton to Ibiza were cancelled, giving the route the highest cancellation rate in the analysis, at 5.56 percent. Other London to Ibiza services also appeared in the top ten routes, including Heathrow to Ibiza which had a cancellation rate at 1.38 per cent.

Ibiza was the worst hit with UK flight cancellations last year (Andres Iglesias/Getty Images)

In the same period, 14 of the 875 flights from London Heathrow to Palma de Mallorca were axed, equating to 1.60 per cent of flights, while 1.31 and 1.30 per cent of services from Gatwick and Luton, respectively, fell foul to cancellations to the Spanish island.

This means that four of the top ten routes from the UK with the highest cancellation rates involved the Mallorcan hub - with the airport being one of the busiest in Europe and a major holiday hotspot destination.

More recent data covering June and July 2026 suggests a similar theme is emerging between the UK and the Balearics. So far, 36 of the 1050 flights departing from Gatwick and Heathrow to Palma de Mallorca were scrapped, a rate of around 3.44 per cent.

According to AirAdvisor, when airports are stretched throughout the summer holiday period, a flight being delayed and missing its departure slot can then cause a domino effect, with other services from the same airport forced to depart later than planned or be cancelled altogether.

For other destinations last year, 1.43 percent of flights between London Gatwick and Lisbon were cancelled, followed by 1.2 percent between Bristol and Malaga.

Travellers have been issued with warnings (Getty Images)

Warnings issued to travellers as expert says 'document everything'

Speaking to LADbible, Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor and aviation expert said that travellers' 'anxiety' around cancelled flights mainly comes from not knowing what they are entitled to and what the next steps are. Guidance has already been issued to those whose journeys are affected by wildfires in France and Spain.

Instead, Mr Radchenko urged everyone to 'document everything' from the moment a flight is pulled, including conversations with airline staff on the ground and any expenses incurred which will help with the process.

Anton Radchenko has issued travel advice (antonio.air/Instagram)

"Most of the anxiety around a cancellation comes from not knowing what you're entitled to," he explained. "Passengers spend time waiting for the airline to tell them what happens next, when the more grounding move is actually to start documenting everything on the spot. Every receipt and every conversation with airline staff. That paper trail then determines what you can recover later.

"Under both UK and EU passenger rights regulations, an airline's obligations kick in at the point of cancellation, and passengers should be offered a choice between a full refund or an alternative route to their destination. On top of that, the airline must provide the so-called duty of care while the passenger waits. This means meals and refreshments appropriate to the length of the delay, a hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is required, plus transport to and from the hotel. Passengers who are not offered these should ask for them in writing at the airport."

When flights are cancelled, airlines often offer affected passengers a voucher as the first option. However, Mr Radchenko told LADbible that people should not always willingly accept these straight away, with cash refunds also available.

He said: "Under UK and EU law, a full cash refund is the passenger's right when they choose not to travel on an alternative flight. A voucher is only a valid outcome if the passenger actively chooses it over a refund. That said, anyone who accepted a voucher without being clearly offered that choice may still have grounds to pursue one.

"Where an airline fails to provide the meals, accommodation or transport it was required to arrange, passengers can submit those out-of-pocket costs as a reimbursement claim. The paperwork and evidence requirements can be significant, which is where a passenger rights service can take the process off their hands entirely.

Some flights from the UK may be more likely to be cancelled than others (Getty Images)

"A cancellation is not just a long wait at the gate. You lose your slot and same-day options dry up quickly. From that point on, the airline decides what happens next, not you.

"Under UK261, if you're told your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, you may be entitled to between £220 and £520 in compensation, depending on how far you were flying. You also have the right to be rebooked on the next available flight, or to choose a later date that works for you."