The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that Air Traffic Control (ATC) delays have more than doubled across Europe within the last decade.
Data found in the IATA’s latest report show that Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) delays within the region rose by 114% between 2015-2024 – which is against a rise of 6.7% in flight numbers during the same period.
The analysis excluded both delays caused by weather and flight cancellations induced by ATC strikes.
Staff shortages and capacity limitations account for a majority of delays, with Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) of France and Germany are responsible for more than 50% of all delays.
The report also states that a total of 7.2 million flights were delayed within the aforementioned decade-long period, with 6.4 million delayed by 30 minutes or less and 700,000 delayed by a minimum of 30 minutes.
In 2024, delays reached 30.4 million minutes (an increase of 114% compared to 14.2 million minutes in 2015) – 38% of which occurred in July and August.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said:We’re now seeing the consequences of Europe’s failure to get a grip on air traffic control. A small, expected improvement in 2025 from a very bad 2024 does not change the deterioration that we have seen over the last decade. Airlines and travelers were promised a Single European Sky that would cut delays and reduce fuel burn through more efficient navigation and routes. Instead, passengers have seen delays more than double.
While Eurocrats debate ways to increase the burden of EU261 passenger compensation, the root cause of much of the delay suffered by travellers—air traffic control—escapes without action or censure. And Europe’s connectivity and competitiveness suffer from schedules that must accommodate ATC inefficiency. It is completely unacceptable
