Europe experienced record air traffic this summer, with an average of 35,959 daily flights operating between 1 June and 31 August, according to Eurocontrol, Europe’s air traffic management coordinator. This represents a 2.4 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
A new network traffic peak was recorded on 10 July, with 37,640 flights. Eurocontrol data indicated that traffic distribution was influenced by the Middle East crisis, leading to lower traffic in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Türkiye, but an increase in Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia, alongside continuous growth in south-west Europe.
Flight arrival punctuality across Europe improved by 1.2 per cent from summer 2025, with an average of 72.6 per cent of flights landing on time. However, air traffic delays were most frequent in Marseille, Athens, and Barcelona due to capacity and staffing issues.
In the UK, more than 81 million passengers travelled through airports between April and June, breaking last year's record for the same period, according to new data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Ross Lydall, a spokesperson for the CAA, commented that demand for flying remains high as passengers adjust travel plans around global events.