Ryanair and Monarch woes causes last-minute flights to surge in price

The biggest hikes are on routes to Milan, which saw a 42.9 per cent rise from £74.46 to £106.39. Flights to Malaga in Spain rose 29.9 per cent on average.

Monarch ceased trading earlier this week

Last-minute flight prices from the UK to Europe have surged by almost a quarter after Ryanair cancelled thousands of flights and Monarch collapsed.

More than two million people were hit by problems at the two airlines, causing prices to spike as travellers looked for alternative deals.

Skyscanner said prices for October were 23 per cent higher after the travel chaos. The company analysed the average price of a ticket between 25 August and 11 September and compared it to those on sale between 15 September and 2 October.

It found the biggest hikes were on routes to Milan, which saw a 42.9 per cent rise from £74.46 to £106.39. Flights to Malaga in Spain rose 29.9 per cent on average, from £109.77 to £142.58. Prices for flights to Dublin rose by 25 per cent and to Malaga by 30 per cent, Skyscanner said. Passengers travelling to Alicante and Barcelona will also pay more.

Hayley Shearer, growth manager at Skyscanner, said that most destinations in Europe had seen an increase in their average flight price for immediate travel, but that most return to normal or even see prices drop for travel in January and February.

She added: “There are still some great deals to be had if you are savvy with your travel booking though.”

For example, travellers can search for less-popular airports close to the busiest routes, or fly into one city and out of another.

Monarch ceased trading earlier this week, prompting the UK’s biggest-ever peacetime repatriation exercise to bring 110,000 holidaymakers home in chartered jets.

The CAA said: “Everyone due to fly in the next fortnight will be brought back to the UK at no cost to them. There is no need to cut short your stay.”

That came shortly after Ryanair cancelled thousands of flights thanks to a pilot shortage.