Skycop reveals 2024 European flight disruption figures

The compensation management company said that the figure – collected from data from across the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and the UK, amounted to around 1.5% of all departures that year.

While the figure represents a slight improvement over those recorded in 2023, the delays and cancellations still equate to around €6.5 billion in potential compensation for affected passengers.

However, Skycop added that around two-thirds of this amount usually remains unclaimed in any given year.

The estimate is based on a conservative assumption that each flight carries 120 passengers, and has a minimum payout of €250.

Luxembourg was the worst-performing market for flight disruption

The worst-performing aviation markets were Luxembourg (2.8% of all disrupted departures), the Netherlands (2.7%), Iceland (2.6%), and Germany (2.2%).

Countries with the lowest proportion of disrupted flights were Latvia (0.5%), Lithuania (0.6%), and Greece (0.8%).

Skycop noted that despite Spain having the largest passenger aviation market in Europe in 2024, it maintained one of the best undisrupted departure rates at 1%.

The company also noted that the chance of encountering a disrupted flight in Europe in 2024 was at its highest in July, but was at its lowest in September.

Skycop completed the takeover of its Estonian counterpart, Lennuabi, early last year.