Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded across Asia causing widespread disruption at airports including Shanghai Pudong and Islamabad International.

01:46, Mon, Apr 20, 2026 Updated: 01:49, Mon, Apr 20, 2026

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (Image: undefined)

Passengers have been left stranded following a significant number of flight cancellations after four major airlines experienced widespread delays.

According to Travel and Tour World, nearly 500 flights were delayed as Capital Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, China Eastern Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines all encountered disruption.

The airlines collectively cancelled 23 flights across several airports throughout Asia, including Shanghai Pudong and Islamabad International Airport.

Reports indicate that these delays triggered a host of problems, with passengers missing connecting flights and facing hours of chaos. Travel and Tour World reports that there were overcrowded waiting areas and huge queues at Shanghai and Beijing.

This comes as Aer Lingus is expected to cancel around 500 flights due to "mandatory maintenance" on aircraft.

An Aer Lingus spokesperson told RSVP Live: "Aer Lingus has commenced operating its planned summer schedule. A number of recent cancellations have been required due to mandatory maintenance on aircraft, along with a limited number of schedule adjustments.

"Where schedule adjustments are being made, the vast majority of customers are being reaccommodated on same day services."

Earlier this month, Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary cautioned that flights could be cancelled this summer owing to the soaring cost of jet fuel.

He told ITV News: "We're all facing an unknown scenario. And we are certainly looking at maybe having to cancel 5 per cent, 10 per cent of flights through May, June and July."

Aer Lingus plane is about to land on the runway at Dublin airport.

Aer Lingus has reported it will be cancelling hundreds of flights in the coming weeks. (Image: Artur Widak/Getty Images)

Should passengers find their flight cancelled, O'Leary suggested they should 'blame Trump' rather than the airline.

Air Canada is also set to suspend services to New York's JFK International Airport over the summer, as the war in Iran triggers jet fuel shortages that have caused prices to rocket.

Canada's national carrier announced on Friday that flights from Toronto and Montreal to JFK will halt on June 1, resuming on October 25.

Routes serving the New York metropolitan area's two remaining airports — LaGuardia and Newark — will continue to operate as normal.

Air Canada confirmed it will contact affected customers to offer alternative travel arrangements.

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"As jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict and some lower profitability routes and flights are no longer economic, we are making schedule adjustments accordingly," a spokesman for the Montreal-based carrier said.