A mother and daughter have told of their disbelief at being told their EasyJet flight to Majorca was cancelled because the crew “were too tired”.

Other holidaymakers, including children, were left in tears when the airline made the announcement at Belfast International Airport around midnight – hours after the 8.45pm flight was due to leave on Sunday – Belfast Live reported.

Cornelia Dalipe and 15-year-old Erin said they were even more shocked to find police waiting outside as crew were led out of a separate door, despite there being “no aggression from passengers”.

EasyJet has since apologised for the “crew issue”.

Belfast Live said 146 people were due to catch the flight to Palma and were left “stranded” at the airport. 

Cornelia said she “couldn’t believe what we were being told”, as many people work 12-14 hour shifts and “just get on with it”.

The West Belfast mother said the situation was made worse by the late hour. She was unable to catch a taxi home until 3am. 

She added: “There were babies crying and parents of children with special needs trying to find a solution.

“We all had to queue to be booked onto alternative flights and while we are hoping to fly on Monday night, another woman I was speaking to was in tears as the next available flight for her was Tuesday night, which is a big chunk out of a one-week holiday.”

An EasyJet spokewoman apologised for the cancellation, which she confirmed was “due to a crew issue”, the newspaper reported, adding that the taxi delay was due to “various events in the city”.

The spokesperson said passengers were given the option of transferring their flight free of charge or obtaining a refund, hotel accommodation “where needed” and taxis.