European flights are delayed again: what passengers should consider
If you are planning to fly across Europe in mid-summer, allow more time for travel and transfers. During the week of July 13–19, the region's air network was once again under significant strain: an average of 36,201 flights were operated daily, and a quarter of all flights experienced delays due to air traffic control restrictions.
What’s happening in the sky
Despite nearly stable transport volumes, delays remain noticeable. For this week, arrival punctuality was 69%, and the average delay due to air traffic control restrictions reached 4.38 minutes per flight. Overall, such restrictions affected 63,957 flights — an average of over 9,000 flights daily.
The problem is not limited to one airport or airline. A delay on one route quickly transfers to the next flight: a plane departs late from one city, arrives late in another, and can no longer make the next segment on time. That’s why even a short wait at the start can turn into a missed connection.
Where the load is heaviest
France accounted for the largest share of route delays this week — 31%. Key areas included air traffic control centers in Reims, Marseille, and Brest; the situation was influenced by capacity restrictions, staff shortages, the transition to a new flow management system, and weather conditions.
Spain contributed 18% of route delays. The heaviest load fell on the areas of Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville — due to a combination of staffing constraints, high demand, and increased traffic. Another 12% of delays were attributed to Greece, particularly the areas of Athens and Macedonia, where capacity, staffing, and increased demand affected the situation.
Is it worth flying?
It’s not necessary to cancel your trip just because of this data: during the first seven weeks of summer 2026, arrival punctuality was 1.4 percentage points better than the same period last year, and delays due to air traffic control restrictions were 18% lower. At the same time, a specific flight may fall into an unfavorable combination of a busy route, weather, and delays from the previous flight.
If you have a connection, don’t choose too short an interval, especially for transfers through France, Spain, or Greece. For an important event, it’s better to arrive the day before, and have necessary medications, a charger, and a basic set of items in your carry-on in case of baggage delays. And one more simple tip: check the flight status before heading to the airport, even if everything looked flawless the day before.
So flying is possible, but this summer it’s better to plan your route with a buffer — especially if your trip involves a connection. Do you already have a summer trip across Europe, or have delays forced you to change your plans?