Warning travelers: Flights will be delayed

Airlines | Trip
Flight chaos in Europe – 5,000 delayed flights per day

Sofia Klavus

Updated 17.51 ​​| Published 17.30

 

The airlines are now warning of delays this summer. Photo: Michael Probst / TT

Airlines in Europe are warning of major delays this summer that could affect six million passengers.

The industry organization A4E believes that the airspace is "full to the brim".

"The airspace in Europe has for a long time been in need of efficiency," says Norwegian's head of communications Charlotte Holmbergh to NRK.

Quick version

• Airlines in Europe, brought together under the organization A4E, are warning of huge delays during the summer due to overcapacity in the airspace.
• It is assumed that over 5,000 flights per day will be delayed, which could affect six million passengers. Among the companies affected are Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways.
• The delays are expected to lead to increased CO2 emissions and will also cost the companies large sums of money. 

The airlines' industry organization A4E, Airlines for Europe, sounds the alarm. They worry that the airspace, in conjunction with too few personnel to be able to control it, will lead to flight chaos.

“ATC services in Europe continue to underperform, as confirmed by the recently released Performance Review Report (PRR) from Eurocontrol. This showed that over a quarter of flights did not arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time in 2023," writes A4E in a press release.

Over 5,000 delayed flights per day, or over 200 delayed flights per hour, affect around six million people, according to Eurocontrol statistics cited by A4E.

 

Queuing at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Archive image.

1 / 2Photo: Peter Dejong / AP

Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways involved

Most airlines in Europe belong to the lobby organization A4E. The Nordic companies Finnair, Norwegian, Icelandair, Sunclass and 13 other companies belong there.

SAS does not belong to the organization, but other large companies such as Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways are involved.

Photo: David Zalubowski/AP

Increased CO2 emissions and expensive

The organization further writes that it is not only bad for the travelers, but CO2 emissions increase if the plane has to be in the air longer than planned.

It is expensive for the companies as well. These delays cost millions of kroner per year. Both because they do not follow the designated landing and departure times, and because the passengers have the right to generous compensation, reports NRK.