European travelers who braced for crowded airports and sky‑high fares this summer got a mixed bag. A Eurocontrol report covering June through mid‑September 2025 shows that Europe’s skies were busier than at any time since 2019 and that punctuality improved substantially compared with last year. Yet the network still missed its punctuality targets: average delays were roughly double the EU’s benchmark, and passengers and airlines alike are pressing for deeper reforms.
Jump to: Europe’s busiest summer • What caused the delays? • Airlines and passengers speak out • New EU compensation rules • Plan for summer 2026 • What travelers can do • FAQ
TL;DR
- Eurocontrol reports 35,122 daily flights this summer, up 3.3% year-on-year.
- Delays fell 31%, but the network still missed the EU’s 0.9-minute target.
- Arrival punctuality improved to 71% of flights within 15 minutes of schedule.
- ATC staffing and capacity shortages remain the main constraint.
- Proposed EU compensation reforms could raise delay thresholds.
- Eurocontrol aims to fix gaps with recruitment, digitalisation and #thinkNetwork.
More on News:
Europe Busiest Summer Yet
- Record traffic: Eurocontrol’s Aviation Trends report recorded 35,122 flights a day on average, 3.3 % more than summer 2024. Several new records were set: the busiest Saturday (33,987 flights), Sunday (35,009 flights) and week (35,756 daily flights). Peak day volume reached 37,034 flights but still fell short of the 2019 all‑time record.
- Delays down but still above target: En‑route air‑traffic‑flow management (ATFM) delays per flight fell 31 % year‑on‑year thanks to better coordination, staffing and weather management. Average ATFM delay dropped from 5.4 minutes in 2024 to 3.9 minutes per flight , but that is still more than 100 % above the EU target of 0.9 minutes.
- Improved punctuality: Arrival punctuality jumped to 71 % of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule, up 6 percentage points from summer 2024. Eurocontrol credits better sectoral planning, more realistic flight schedules and a network‑wide weather strategy that saved about 720,000 minutes of delay.
- Fewer bad days: There were 16 days with more than 200,000 minutes of delay, down from 35 last year. Only a single day exceeded 300,000 minutes of delay, and that spike was driven by a French air‑traffic‑controller (ATC) strike.
The improvements reflect both better preparation and favourable conditions. Eurocontrol’s #thinkNetwork campaign encouraged airlines, airports and ATC providers to deliver agreed capacities, prioritise the first wave of flights and file realistic schedules. Cross‑border meteorological coordination allowed the network to route flights around storms efficiently.
Nonetheless, the network remains stretched: Eurocontrol noted that only about 80 % of pre‑Ukraine‑war airspace is available and that some control centres in southern Europe are handling 30–40 % more flights than in 2019.
What Caused the Delays? Capacity Shortages, Staffing and Strikes
Eurocontrol’s data highlight structural weaknesses that limit how far punctuality can improve:
- ATC capacity and staffing – ATFM delays caused by limited sector capacity fell 25 % to 1.4 minutes per flight, while staffing‑related delays dropped to 0.4 minutes per flight. Yet shortages at key centres persist. France’s DSNA generated the worst delays at 3.6 minutes per flight, while Bosnia‑Herzegovina’s BHANSA averaged 1.7 minutes and Germany’s DFS 1.6 minutes. Eurocontrol says recruiting and training controllers takes years and that attrition has left many ANSPs short of staff.
- Unequal traffic growth and restricted airspace – Traffic surged by more than 20 % on some South‑East and South‑West corridors. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian conflict still keeps large swaths of eastern airspace closed, forcing flights onto longer, congested routes.
- Weather and geopolitical disruptions – Convective storms were less severe than in 2024; weather‑related delays fell about 37 %. However, even one severe storm or a single ATC strike can add hundreds of thousands of delay minutes. Geopolitical events in the Middle East and beyond also forced reroutings.
Airlines and Passengers Speak Out
Airlines welcomed the improvement but stressed that the underlying problems remain. Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents major carriers, warned that 110 million travelers lost 12.7 million minutes (equivalent to 24 years) to delays this summer and that “more than half of the reduction came down to favourable weather rather than structural progress”.
A4E managing director Rania Georgoutsakou said that en‑route delays are still more than three times higher than the EU target, and she urged policymakers to “hire more air‑traffic controllers, roll out technology, and modernise our airspace”.
Low‑cost carrier Ryanair was blunter. In September it claimed that over 21 million of its passengers had been delayed or stranded in 2025 because of ATC failures and staff shortages. CEO Michael O’Leary lambasted France, Spain, Germany, the UK and Greece for “inexplicable mismanagement and short staffing” and demanded that national governments fully staff their control centres.
Not all airlines share this level of criticism: some executives told Aviation Week that the summer went better than feared, given early warnings of widespread disruption. But the consensus is that without more capacity and modernised systems, delays will remain stubbornly high.
New Eu Compensation Rules Could Make Delays More Painful for Passengers
The debate over delays is sharpened by a proposed overhaul of EU Regulation 261/2004, the law governing passenger compensation. Under current rules, passengers on EU‑registered airlines can claim compensation if a flight arrives three hours late or more. In June 2025, EU transport ministers agreed a draft that would raise the threshold to four hours on short‑haul routes (up to 3,500 km) and six hours on long‑haul flights.
Compensation payments would be fixed at €300 for delays of four to six hours on short‑haul flights and €500 for delays over six hours on long‑haul flights, replacing the current €250–€600 range. The legislation, still under negotiation, would also give airlines stricter deadlines to respond to claims.
Airline trade groups have long argued that compensation rules designed in 2004 are unsustainable in today’s high‑traffic environment. Consumer advocates counter that raising delay thresholds shifts costs from airlines to passengers just as network performance remains below target. Eurocontrol’s own statistics show that the network is unlikely to meet the 0.9‑minute delay benchmark before summer 2026. If compensation kicks in only at four hours, far fewer travelers would be entitled to cash, even if disruptions continue.
What Eurocontrol and Stakeholders Plan for Summer 2026
Eurocontrol emphasises that short‑term coordination can only go so far. Its recommendations for the 2026 peak include:
- Aggressive recruitment and training: strengthen ATC staffing across Europe and coordinate rostering to ensure the first daily “wave” of departures has sufficient controllers.
- Sector redesign and capacity investment: reconfigure airspace sectors, especially in high‑growth corridors, to maximise capacity and introduce flexible cross‑border operations.
- Accelerate digitalisation: implement data‑link communications, modern flight‑data processing and other technologies under the SESAR programme.
- Network‑centric procedures: continue the #thinkNetwork campaign, emphasising realistic schedules, prioritising first rotations and better slot management.
Eurocontrol concedes that even with these measures, average delays may remain above target next year due to the scale of the capacity gap and the time needed to train new controllers. Still, the 2025 season proved that collaborative planning, targeted investments and favourable weather can significantly mitigate disruption.
What Travelers Can Do: Tips for Coping With Delays
Travelers facing another busy summer should prepare for potential disruptions:
- Choose early flights: Morning departures often experience fewer delays because they rely less on connecting traffic and benefit from fresh crew duty limits. Eurocontrol’s focus on protecting first rotations aims to keep these flights on time.
- Check real‑time information: Use airline apps and Eurocontrol’s daily traffic updates to monitor your flight. Many carriers now push notifications about anticipated delays via SMS or app messages.
- Understand your rights: Until new rules are finalised, compensation still applies after a three‑hour delay. Keep boarding passes and receipts; airlines must provide meals and accommodation when delays extend overnight. Proposed reforms will change thresholds but also increase compensation amounts and specify rerouting obligations.
- Allow extra time for connections: Given capacity constraints, booking longer layovers reduces the risk of missed connections.
- Consider alternative airports or routes: Some smaller airports and less congested corridors experienced fewer delays. Flexibility when booking can pay off.
Summer 2025 showed that Europe’s air traffic system can handle record‑high volumes with fewer delays when stakeholders coordinate effectively and weather cooperates. Yet the average delay per flight remains roughly double the EU’s target, and passengers still lost millions of minutes to late flights. As airlines press for airspace reform and regulators debate compensation rules, travelers are caught in the middle. The coming year will test whether Europe can translate lessons learned in 2025 into a more punctual and passenger‑friendly summer.
FAQ
How bad were European flight delays in summer 2025?
Average en-route delays fell 31% to 3.9 minutes per flight, but that’s still more than twice the EU’s 0.9-minute target.
Which countries had the worst delays?
France’s DSNA topped the list with 3.6 minutes per flight, followed by Bosnia-Herzegovina’s BHANSA and Germany’s DFS.
What caused most of the delays?
ATC staffing shortages, limited airspace, and weather disruptions were the main causes, alongside several strike days.
What’s changing in EU compensation rules?
The draft revision to Regulation 261/2004 raises compensation thresholds to four hours on short-haul and six hours on long-haul flights.
Will 2026 be better for travelers?
Eurocontrol plans to hire more controllers, expand capacity, and accelerate digital upgrades, though delays may still exceed targets.
How can passengers prepare for delays?
Book early flights, monitor apps for updates, keep receipts for compensation, and allow extra time for connections.