Irish airline Ryanair has cancelled up to 600 flights for more than 50,000 passengers over two days next week due to a strike by cabin crew in Belgium, Portugal and Spain.

A total of 300 of its 2,400 scheduled flights will not take off each day next Wednesday July 25 and Thursday July 26, as cabin crew mount pickets in Spain, Portugal and Belgium. The airline has already contacted the affected passengers and said if customers have not received an email or SMS text, they should expect to travel as scheduled.

Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs apologised to customers. “Given that Ryanair cabin crew enjoy great pay-up to EUR40,000 p.a. (in countries with high youth unemployment) – industry leading rosters (14 days off each month), great sales commissions, uniform allowances and sick pay, these strikes are entirely unjustified”.