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European carriers complain about air traffic control

by AI | 24.Jul 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Air traffic control is “insufficient” in Europe, according to airlines who are asking the Transport Commissioner for urgent intervention.

A pedestrian walks past an information sign indicating "air traffic control strike, call your company" at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, amidst an air traffic controllers' strike, on September 16, 2022. (Photo: JULIEN DE ROSE / AFP)

Paris – The main European airlines have denounced the “shortcomings” of air traffic control on the continent, which cause significant delays, even flight cancellations.

“Since the beginning of summer, European airlines have been forced to delay or cancel thousands of flights, which has had consequences for hundreds of thousands of passengers,” said the Airlines for Europe (A4E) group in a statement.

While 2023 was already “one of the worst years in 20 years for air traffic control performance” in Europe, the week of July 8 to 14 saw a “68% increase in delays year on year” for A4E members.

“The capacity and lack of air traffic control personnel caused 53% of these delays,” A4E continued, calling on the European Commissioner for Transport, Wopke Hoekstra, to “take urgent measures to address this crisis.”

The group includes, among others, Ryanair, Lufthansa, IAG (British Airways and Iberia), Air France-KLM, and easyJet. (22.07.2024)