LONDON (AFP) - Budget airline Ryanair has cancelled all its northern European flights until 1200 GMT Thursday, but said it would lay on extra flights to get passengers from the Canary Islands to mainland Europe.

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The cancellations apply to Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Poland, the Baltics and northern Italy, according to a statement Tuesday.

Ryanair also cancelled all flights between Britain and Ireland until 1200 GMT Friday to free up capacity for routes to continental Europe.

It said it would put on extra flights from Madrid to the Canary Islands on Wednesday and Thursday to bring holidaymakers back to the mainland, although they would have to cover the cost of any onward journey themselves.