Flight cancellations and delays for almost every third passenger

In 2023, 31.3 percent of passengers at European airports took off late or did not depart at all, according to German passenger rights portal Airhelp. Before the pandemic, this value was less than 24 percent.

Staff shortages, strikes and other disruptions again led to many flight cancellations and delays at European airports last year. “In total, 31.3% of passengers across Europe took off late or did not depart at all,” German air passenger rights portal Airhelp said on Saturday. The previous year, the rate was 30.6 percent. Most of the problems occurred in the summer.

In July, the delay and cancellation rate peaked at 39.1 percent. In absolute numbers, as in the previous year, most travelers (45.5 million) were affected in Great Britain; 34.6% of all travelers started there late or not at all. Airports in Malta (39.3 percent), Serbia and Turkey (38.1 percent each) had the worst rates.

According to Airhelp, airports in Lithuania are the most reliable compared to Europe: 19.9 percent of passengers had problems there last year. A relatively large number of flights took off on time in Norway and Estonia.

Flight cancellations and delays have risen sharply since the coronavirus pandemic. According to the information, their percentage was generally less than 24 percent before 2020. (APA / Agence France-Presse)