AIR traffic control strikes have brought misery to hundreds of Scots travellers amid flight delays and cancellations, with some holidaymakers stranded abroad.

The chaos, which comes as the Scottish school holidays get underway, is likely to continue over the weekend as French air-traffic controllers protest over budget cuts.

Carriers including Ryanair, easyJet, and British Airways were forced to ground thousands of flights across the UK, including around seven in Scotland, as the industrial action closed French airspace.

Services to and from popular holiday resorts in France and Spain were among the worst affected, with return flights also axed.

The Ryanair cancellations affected services between Edinburgh and Alicante and Malaga in Spain, leaving hundreds of holidaymakers unable to fly home.

Passengers with easyJet were also affected, with the budget airline reporting widespread delays and four cancellations in Scotland. These included one flight due to take off from Edinburgh airport, two from Glasgow and one from Aberdeen.

Like Ryanair, the vast majority of easyJet's services fly over French airspace. Passengers using both airlines are likely to face significant disruption at least until Sunday, when the French strike is due to end.

A spokeswoman for easyJet said the carrier had been forced to cancel 150 of its scheduled 1,400 flights yesterday, the same number which were grounded on Tuesday when the walkout began.

It comes as Scotland's airports gear up for the summer getaway this weekend, with schools closing.

Anyone who is planning to fly over the next few days is urged to check the status of their flight with the airline before they head to the airport.