A new report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlights a significant decline in the efficiency of European air traffic management. Delays linked to air traffic control (ATC) rose 114% between 2015 and 2024, despite a modest 6.7% increase in flights.
The analysis focuses only on delays caused by Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM), excluding weather-related delays and strikes by air traffic controllers.
France and Germany Most Affected
Capacity constraints and staffing shortages remain the main causes of delays. Air navigation service providers (ANSPs) in France and Germany account for over 50% of total delays in Europe.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh criticized European aviation policy, saying that the promise of a Single European Sky remains unfulfilled. He emphasized that instead of experiencing fewer delays and more efficient routes, passengers are seeing delays more than double, while discussions about EU261 compensation regulations miss the core problem of air traffic management.
Key Findings of the Report:
- 7.2 million flights delayed between 2015 and October 2025.
- 6.4 million flights delayed up to 30 minutes; 700,000 flights delayed over 30 minutes.
- 30.4 million minutes of delays in 2024, up from 14.2 million in 2015.
- 38% of delays occurred in July and August.
- 87% of 2024 ANSP delays were due to staffing and capacity shortages.
- Personnel-related delays rose 201.7% since 2015.
- Strikes now account for 8.8% of ANSP delays, totaling 9.8 million minutes over the last decade, even accounting for pandemic slowdowns.
- IATA notes that 2025 data is available up to October, with a full updated report to follow once the year concludes.
