Flight cancellations across Europe increased 46% last month

Cirium, an aviation analytics company, recently published its monthly performance report for June 2024.

According to its data, Icelandair was Europe’s most punctual airline last month, with 84.08% of flights arriving on time, followed by Iberia Express with 82.50% of all flights arriving on time (15 minutes within their scheduled time).

Its sister brand Iberia came third at 77.69% while SAS and Finnair also made the top five.

Saudia was named the world’s most punctual airline with 88.22% of flights arriving on time.

Europe recorded the highest increase (46%) in flight cancellations in June with 8,145 being cancelled compared with 5,584 the previous month.

Several factors contributed to performance in Europe, the report said, including the French air traffic control strike in late May, which resulted in thousands of flight cancellations and reroutings across Europe. Furthermore, airlines across Europe, including Aer Lingus, have been grappling with staff shortages, particularly of pilots and cabin crew, which lead to more flight cancellations as airlines struggle to fully staff flights.

For the European airlines category, Cirium’s data is collected for the top 30% of airlines based on their passenger capacity.

Jonathan Frankham, World Nomads General Manager UK and Europe, said: “At World Nomads, we recognise the recurring challenge that strike actions pose to travellers across Europe and beyond. Recent years have seen these disruptions become a frequent occurrence, highlighting the critical need for both travellers and insurers to be well-informed. It's essential for customers to understand their rights amidst such events, ensuring they know how to navigate changes in travel plans effectively.

“Equally important is our role as insurers to maintain clear and open communication channels with our customers, providing timely assistance and guidance. We strive to support travellers in understanding their policy coverage and making claims when necessary, thereby ensuring they can travel with confidence even amidst unpredictable circumstances like strikes.

“We advise travellers to check policy wording for coverage in case of trip cancellation or curtailment before departure, including any terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions that may apply; contact travel providers if strikes are slated to occur; and book travel insurance at the same time as booking holiday accommodation or flights, so that if industrial action strikes after booking, they are covered.

“At World Nomads, our newly launched Annual Multi-Trip product – introduced as part of our underwriter switch to Collinson Group – is designed to offer flexible, cost-effective coverage for frequent travellers, which is especially valuable in today’s climate of rising travel costs and common disruptions.

“Under the AMT, our Explorer plan offers some cover for any unannounced strikes within this one year period, giving travellers some peace of mind on their travels. One of the most innovative new features is SmartDelay, which provides access to airport lounges when flights are delayed by more than 90 minutes, which can really help to take the stress out of delays.”

A recent report from Eurocontrol found that last year over a quarter of flights were delayed in Europe.