Paris (France) (AFP) – Europe’s skies were at their busiest ever during the summer holiday period from July to August, despite disruptions caused by the Middle East war, according to Eurocontrol data published Friday. According to the continent-wide aviation safety body, Europe saw an average of 35,959 flights a day, a 2.4 percent increase on 2025, with a record 37,640 flights on Friday, July 10.
Though Eurocontrol acknowledged that the US-Iran war “influenced” this year’s tourist season, the conflict has also encouraged many Europeans to holiday within their own continent, widely seen as safer. “This translated into lower traffic in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey, but a high increase in traffic in Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia — and continuous growth in southwest Europe,” Eurocontrol said.
Record passenger numbers at Greece’s airports pushed its air traffic control system to the limit, especially during the peak season. But despite the increase across the continent, 72.6 percent of flights arrived on time, up 1.2 percentage points on 2025. France remained the worst offender for delays caused by air traffic control management problems, accounting for 32 percent of all delays on its own.
© 2024 AFP
