Eurocontrol predicts more flight delays this summer
European Union (EU) air traffic management agency Eurocontrol has warned of the potential for flight delays this summer
Eurocontrol said that it is expecting to handle 5% more flights in its airspace this summer than over the same period in 2024.
Summer 2024 saw a 47% increase in flight delays compared with summer 2023, driven by capacity and staffing issues. Delays over that period were the worst since 2001, and cost the airline industry approximately €2.8 billion.
Steven Moore, Head of Air Traffic Management Operations at Eurocontrol, was quoted in The Times newspaper as saying that the situation has worsened because European airspace is a “highly saturated network where any issue becomes a network problem”.
He added that the forecast increase in traffic poses a potentially “significant challenge”, and that “it’s plain we won’t have a summer without delays”.
The problem is exacerbated by the faster-than-expected recovery of air traffic in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to strain as agencies work to increase the number of air traffic controllers.
Travel disruption is also expected over this year’s Easter holiday period.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor for Voyageur Group, joining in 2021. He writes for both ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision and air medical transportation. He also serves as Title Editor of the Assistance & Repatriation Reviews. Oliver holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University, as well as a BA in English with Creative Writing from Falmouth University.