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In 2024, the average flight delay was 17.5 minutes, according to data from the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation Eurocontrol. Not much? In 12 months, the number of flights in the space controlled by the organization was 10.7 million. This represents huge numbers and costs
Arrival punctuality on the network was 72.5 percent last year. On the other hand, departure punctuality was 66.2 percent. This means that some of the delays are made up in the air.
Weather and airport capacity, and aircraft delay
“The main reasons for delays at airports in 2024 were mainly due to weather or airport capacity.” – Eurocontrol explains. An example? Weather was particularly troublesome at London-Heathrow Airport, where irregular operations were caused by multifactorial problems such as high winds and poor visibility. Amsterdam-Schiphol and Athens, on the other hand, are examples of airports facing serious airport capacity problems, especially during the peak summer season
Eurocontrol calculates that three countries in the network were responsible for half of all air traffic control-related delays: France, Germany and Hungary. In the case of France (21 percent), the main reasons were airspace capacity and staffing problems. Weather conditions and strikes were not without influence. In Germany, on the other hand (18 percent), the delays were caused by staffing problems, especially in Karlsruhe, and frequent adverse weather conditions
The situation is different in Hungary, which closes the infamous podium. In addition to problems with personnel availability and weather conditions, a significant reason is the very high demand for the use of the country’s airspace. This is due to the closure of the skies over Ukraine from February 2022 after Russia’s aggression. On FlightRadar24, you can see in real time how many planes from Europe to the Middle East, Central Asia and the Far East are flying over Hungary right now.
Fewer controller strikes, more delays
Air traffic control-related delays averaged 2.1 minutes per flight. This is a value that is theoretically unnoticeable, but according to Eurocontrol, it is the worst result in 23 years. The acceptable upper limit is 0.5 minutes. The organization explains that the level of 2 minutes per flight was last exceeded in 2010 after the volcanic eruption in Iceland and bad weather at the end of the year
In 2024, weather was responsible for a record number of delays. Days with adverse weather conditions were recorded 50 percent more than the year before and as much as 80 percent more than in 2019. As for staffing problems in the air traffic control area, the number of disruption days was “relatively low” – 72 percent less than in 2023, when the situation was paralyzed by French strikes, but at a comparable level to 2019.
Eurocontrol calculated that a total of about 450,000 minutes of delays occurred in European airspace on June 26 alone. That’s 7,500 hours, or 312.5 days. Weather conditions were responsible for as many as 360 thousand minutes of that number. During the summer season, the average aircraft delay reached 21.4 minutes per flight
Other causes of flight delays
This does not exhaust the catalog of causes of aircraft delays. Technical malfunctions, resulting in the need for quick repairs on the tarmac, a swap to another machine or cancellation of a flight, are a very significant contributor. Delays can also be caused by operational problems, such as crew tardiness or indisposition or exceeding working time standards. Staff shortages on the ground, through which baggage and cargo cannot be loaded on time or stairs or buses cannot be provided, can also contribute to flight delays
Flight delay and passenger compensation
Compensation is available when arrival at the destination is delayed by at least 3 hours from the scheduled time. Depending on the length of the route, this will be between €250 and €600. The airline can avoid liability if it can show that the cause of the delay was beyond its control.
Therefore, the carrier will not be liable for weather conditions or a strike by air traffic controllers or airport employees. However, it will be liable for technical malfunctions of its aircraft or those resulting from the absence or indisposition of flight and cabin crew. We write more about compensation HERE.
How to reduce flight delays?
Eurocontrol and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have consistently pointed to problems with the efficiency and effectiveness of European airspace management. Each country has sovereignty over its airspace. This means that flying from Vilnius to Lisbon, an aircraft passes “from hands to hands” of air traffic controllers in several different countries.
The answer is supposed to be the Single European Sky (SES, Single European Sky). This is a 2004 European Commission initiative in response to rapidly growing air traffic. It is intended to improve the management of the skies over the EU. The idea is that flight routes would be shortened, which would also translate into reduced CO2 emissions. Disruptions or staff shortages in certain areas would also be responded to more quickly and efficiently. Still, this is a plan that has not been fully implemented.
On December 1, 2024, another reform, dubbed SES 2+, went into effect, creating incentives for air navigation agencies that are monopolistic in their markets to increase efficiency and adapt new technologies. “These aspects will help alleviate situations such as this summer, when air travel was severely disrupted, with nearly one in two flights experiencing delays due mainly to overwhelming congestion in European airspace,” – the European Commission stressed.
The difficulty of implementing SES is illustrated by the fact that the SES 2+ reform was initiated in 2013. However, just two years later, work on it came to a standstill. It was revisited in 2020, but political agreement was reached four years later.
New technologies in air traffic management
Work on the Single European Sky is accompanied by a number of research and development projects – SESAR – to put SES into practice. These aim to improve the management of European skies through the use of technological innovations, including those such as Artificial Intelligence. The SESAR program’s budget for 2008-2024 totaled €3.7 billion. The program continues in subsequent years. The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency is also taking part in it.
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