Between June and August 2024, there was:
- A 6.2% increase in traffic to 1.41 million flights
- A 44.9% increase in total ATFM* delays to nearly 9 million minutes
- An average delay of 13 minutes per delayed flight
- An 80.8% increase in ATC capacity related delays
- A 16.2% increase in ATC staffing related delays
In addition, nearly one in two flights in Europe during the summer suffered some form of delay.
This worsening trend comes as the PRB report highlights a dramatic 430% increase in annual delays between 2021 and 2023, underscoring the widening gap between demand and actual airspace capacity. This gap is expected to persist, especially with traffic growth forecast for the coming years. The report urges, “ANSPs and Member States to prioritise continuous capacity improvements in 2024 and during RP4 to keep pace with traffic recovery and future growth.”
It is critical that upon his confirmation, Commissioner-Designate Tzitzikostas swiftly responds to President von der Leyen’s call to develop a strategy to address the “inefficiencies in air traffic management within the Single European Sky,” as outlined in his Mission Letter.
Reacting to the delay figures and PRB report, Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E), said:
“Reading this year’s PRB report I have a feeling of déjà vu –yet again it makes clear that the situation is worsening. Reforming Europe’s airspace is now one of the most urgent challenges facing Europe’s aviation sector and was even identified as a priority in the Draghi competitiveness report. Europe’s airspace is failing. Mario Draghi spoke of Europe’s slow agony, but for millions of passengers this summer, the agony was all too real.”
“It is simply unacceptable that nearly half of all flights in Europe face some form of delay at the busiest time of the year. We know what the problems are and the capacity we have to work with, clearly we are not doing enough with what we have to prevent delays. Reducing delays will not only minimise disruption for passengers, but also deliver real environmental benefits, potentially cutting CO2 emissions by 7–10%. A4E remains ready to collaborate with all stakeholders to fix this. Europe and its passengers should not be made to wait any longer.”
* Air Traffic Flow Management
Notes to Editor
- The Performance Review Body (PRB) of the Single European Sky produces an annual report of the monitoring of the air navigation services of the Single European Sky.
- It assesses whether Members States achieved their targets in the key performance areas of safety, environment, capacity, and cost-efficiency.
- The 2013 report shows that average en-route ATFM delay was 1.34 minutes per flight higher than the Union wide target.
- 13 Member States did not achieve their local targets indicating unresolved ANSP capacity issues.
- The full report is available here: https://eu-single-sky.transport.ec.europa.eu/news/prb-annual-monitoring-report-2023-2024-09-26-0_en
