HOLIDAYMAKERS faced a second day of travel disruption as the strike by air traffic controllers saw a handful of flights to and from Scotland cancelled.

Three flights between Edinburgh Airport and France were axed on Thursday as the industrial dispute continued.

Passengers due to fly from the capital on an Easyjet service to Basel, an Air France flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle and a Ryanair connection to Bordeaux were hit by cancellations.

A fourth service, operated by Easyjet and due to fly from Basel to Edinburgh was also cancelled.

Ailie Doyle, a 62-year-old Glasgow University worker is among the Scots stranded in France as a result of the cancellation, and will not be able to return home until Saturday.

Ms Doyle had spent a week holidaying in the Loire Valley but travelled to Alsace, near Strasbourg, to meet friends before she was due to catch her return flight from Basel to Edinburgh.

However, she received an email from Easyjet on Wednesday night notifying her that the flight had been cancelled as a result of the strikes.

She said: "I was meant to fly out on Thursday morning, so I tried to rebook for the next day but there was nothing. It was a bit of a pain, and there was no reason given - presumably they were all full with people rebooking. I couldn't get another flight with Easyjet until Saturday morning.

"I'm with friends though so I'm lucky that I can stay on with them, otherwise that would have been a major inconvenience.

"The only downside was that I couldn't go home 24 hours later, it had to be 48 hours later.

"But the sun is splitting the sky and it's 20°C, so I don't have too much to complain about."

The low-cost airline was among the worst affected with 248 flights cancelled on Wednesday and 331 on Thursday, including 78 to and from the UK.

EasyJet confirmed it will run three "rescue flights" on Friday to help bring some of its stranded passengers home. It is understood the airline has around 95,000 passengers in limbo across Europe as a result of the strikes.

Meanwhile, Glasgow Airport was hit by one cancellation affecting an Easyjet service to Alicante. There were also "minor delays" to four other flights operated by Jet2, KLM and Easyjet.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow Airport added: "The knock-on effect has been minor. We're advising passengers to check with their airlines before flying."

The SNCTA union - France's largest - called the two-day strike in a dispute over working conditions.

France's civil aviation agency said part of the dispute involves plans to raise the retirement age for controllers from 57 to 59 years.

EasyJet confirmed it will run three "rescue flights" on Friday to help bring stranded passengers home. The low-cost airline was among the worst affected with 248 flights cancelled on Wednesday and 331 on Thursday, including 78 to and from the UK.

The strike is due to end today but further walkouts are planned for April 16-18 and April 29 to May 2, coinciding with spring school holidays in France.

It has led to the cancellation of around half of flights from France with many European carriers trying to minimise disruption by avoiding French airspace.

Meanwhile, a 48-hour strike by security staff at Scotland's 11 regional airports has ended, but the employees are now working to rule as a dispute over pay and conditions continues.

The walkout by about 120 workers with AMSL, a subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), caused flights between Dundee and Stansted to be suspended.

HIAL is owned by Scottish ministers and operates airports in Inverness, Dundee, Campbeltown, Islay, Tiree, Barra, Benbecula, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Kirkwall and Wick.