TUI passengers from East Midlands Airport and beyond urged to bring picnics as meal shortages hit flights

Anyone flying with TUI is being warned to bring their own food and soft drinks in case there are not enough meals on board. The airline has been affected by staff shortages at the company which makes its in-flight meals.

TUI - whose flights from East Midlands Airport are among those affected - said it was "continuously monitoring the situation". Any flights, apart from the very longest, could have a shortage of food, the holiday company warned.

Anyone wanting drinks on board in bottles larger bottles than 100ml will need to buy them in the airport at airport prices, due to security rules. TUI flies to numerous popular holiday destinations from the Leicestershire airport, including Malaga, Tenerife, Palma, Kefalonia, Ibiza and Lanzarote.

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TUI said in its latest statement on the issue: "We can confirm that unfortunately due to staff shortages with our catering supplier, there may be limited food and drinks services available onboard TUI Airways short- and mid-haul flights over the coming days.

"Customers may therefore want to bring their own food and soft drinks onboard (no alcohol permitted). Any soft drinks over 100ml will need to be purchased after you have passed through security. Please note this disruption does not affect any long-haul flights to Aruba, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Orlando and St Lucia and meal services on these flights will continue to operate as normal.

"Please be assured we are continuously monitoring the situation and working closely with our suppliers to limit the impact to the onboard service for our customers. We are directly contacting all customers impacted. We’re very sorry for any inconvenience caused."