The possibility of another “black” summer for air transport in Europe, with record delays and cancellations, is looming, as the European Union warns of severe pressures on the air traffic system. Staff shortages, strikes, fires, and increased demand for travel threaten to cause serious disruption for the traveling public.
As European officials point out, the air traffic control system is already operating at the limits of its capabilities, while passenger traffic has exploded after the COVID-19 pandemic. “Last year, we had the worst summer of all time in terms of delays and cancellations. This summer will be very similar,” a senior EU official warned, according to a report in the Financial Times.
During the busiest days of the summer, around 37,000 flights operate in European airspace – a number that is close to the maximum that air traffic controllers can handle.
Increase in air traffic and delays
Data from Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control body, shows that air traffic this year is already 5% higher than in the same period in 2024, while delays have also increased by 5%.
The situation is particularly difficult in nine countries, including France, Germany, Greece, and Spain – some of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The inability of the system to handle the increased number of flights is leading to widespread delays, which are expected to peak in the summer months.
Strikes and disruptions
The picture is further worsened by the strike action of air traffic controllers, with France at the centre. Long-term strikes, demanding new equipment and more staff, caused serious disruption last week, with around 4,000 flights across the EU affected.
According to Eurocontrol, between 2 and 5 July 2025, 3,343 flights to and from French airports were cancelled due to strikes in France. At the same time, a total of 63,440 flights were delayed due to air traffic management restrictions, a figure that corresponds to 26% of all flights in Europe.
Political pressure and industry concern
European Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said the situation was being compounded by the reduced availability of European airspace due to the war in Ukraine. “The lack of controllers threatens to overload the network and frustrate passengers,” he said, underlining the need for immediate action.
The heads of major airlines are sounding the alarm. Jet2 CEO Steve Hippie admitted that the strikes had caused “concern for many customers,” while Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary wrote an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling on her to resign if she fails to take action to protect the single European aviation market during the French strikes.
Ryanair has been forced to cancel 1,500 flights, affecting 270,000 passengers, while the company claims that 90% of these cancellations could have been avoided if overflights had been guaranteed during the strikes in France.
The bet on the “Single European Sky”
Airlines are returning with renewed vigor to the demand for the completion of the “Single European Sky” project, an ambitious initiative aimed at simplifying and unifying air traffic management in the EU. This project, which has been stalled for years, would allow airlines to follow the most direct routes, reducing delays, costs, and CO? emissions.
With European airspace busier than ever, the possibility of “chaos in the skies” this summer seems increasingly likely, putting pressure on Brussels to find immediate and effective solutions.
