Flight delayed this summer? New report shows European air traffic lagging behind punctuality targets

Flight delays have plagued peak season travel this summer, with strikes, staffing issues and IT outages disrupting schedules.

Air navigation service providers, airlines, and airports say they are working to reduce delays across the continent. 

But new data from Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, shows that the aviation industry is lagging far behind its punctuality targets.

Here’s how the sector fared this summer and why your flight was probably delayed. 

Delays remain ‘high and above the target levels’

The data looked at flights from 1 June to 15 September. In comparison to the previous summer, air traffic had increased by 3.3 per cent. Traffic also broke set records: this summer saw the busiest Saturday, Sunday, and week ever. This summer’s busiest day saw a maximum of 37,304 flights. 

En-route flight declined by 31 per cent. Punctuality also increased: nearly 72 per cent of flights were on time, compared to 65 per cent last summer. 

Despite these improvements, delays were still frequent and above target levels. The ideal delay level is 0.9 minutes of delay per flight. This year so far has seen an average of 1.88 minutes of delay per flight. 

“This clearly highlights the ongoing structural lack of capacity, largely driven by a lack of ATCOs [air traffic control officers] and in ANSPs [air navigation service providers] and the ongoing need to improve airspace design and accelerate technological modernisation,” says the report.  

What causes plane delays?

Delays can be caused by a number of factors. Many delays tracked were due to capacity or staffing issues.  Severe weather, worker strikes and other disruptions also impacted flight punctuality (though the report shows that this year, delays caused by adverse weather fell by nearly half). The report also cited political instability as a factor that further complicated air traffic.

Summer is the busiest travel season, so networks are looking ahead to try and mitigate issues for summer 2026. They have emphasised a focus on "maintaining network stability and predictability”. 

“These delays continue to impact negatively passengers and airlines, and once again underlines that all actors still have plenty to do to tackle system congestion for next summer,” says the report.

What are my rights if my flight is delayed?

Currently, European law governs that if a flight is delayed by three hours or more, the airline must either give the passenger another flight, a full refund, and sometimes compensation. This also applies if the flight is outright cancelled.

Compensation values range from €250 for a short-haul flight to €600 for long-haul. Currently, compensation can be requested if the delay is more than three hours. 

However, it may soon get harder to request compensation.

The EU Council is proposing a plan that would require short-haul flights to be delayed by four hours and long-haul flights by six or more hours. It’s been met with backlash from consumer associations and concerned citizens.