Holidaymakers face ‘challenging’ summer amid fears of flight delays

Air passengers travelling across Europe should expect a “challenging” summer that could involve delays and longer flight times, officials have warned.

Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace, is expecting around 33,000 daily flights across the continent for the next eight weeks.

The organisation said there would be a surge in air traffic throughout Europe, issuing warnings for numerous cities and regions, including London, Barcelona, Brussels, Athens, Marseille and Budapest.

The increase in traffic could see passengers enduring significant delays and longer flight routes as airlines avoid congested areas.

With the peak summer season under way, more than 25 million trips abroad are expected to be made from the UK between now and September – most of those by air.

Aviation chiefs continue to also be concerned by a series of strikes by air traffic controllers in France, which has an impact across Europe – while the conflict in Ukraine also puts pressure on airspace.

Raul Medina, director-general at Eurocontrol, said: “This summer in Europe is challenging as we have less available airspace because of the war in Ukraine and the military needs.

“To be successful over the summer, we need everyone to play their part.

“Airports need to be well staffed, it is vital (air traffic services) provide enough capacity and that airlines stick to their schedules.”

Aviation Week reported that Eurocontrol forecasts an air traffic increase of 7% compared with the same period in 2022 – while the number of European flights on Fridays is likely to exceed 34,000.

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Mr Medina said the increased military activity in Europe had reduced available airspace by up to 20% – but that he still believed the industry was in a strong position to cope with this year’s challenges.

“When we asked if aviation is ready to cope with this increase of traffic, our answer is yes,” he added.

“This year, we are clearly in a better situation than last year, as many of the causes of last year’s delays have been rectified.

“We have to cope with expected and unexpected events, such as managing industrial action, weather issues or military exercises.

“Recent industrial action caused many delays across the network. We can manage situations like that in quieter periods, but if it happens in the middle of summer, it will be much more challenging. We need to be prepared.”