- Greece records highest flight delay rate in Europe this summer
- 46.4pc of flights delayed
- Athens International Airport ranked second worst at 46.8pc
- Manchester Airport topped Europe’s worst delays at 47.9pc
- Air traffic control capacity and equipment issues cited as key factors
Greece has recorded the highest flight delay rate in Europe this summer according to data released by passenger rights portal Flightright. Greece topped the negative continent-wide ranking heavily driven by a massive tourism boom that pushed local aviation infrastructure to its limit. At the airport level Athens International Airport was named the second worst performer in Europe with 46.8pc of flights delayed.
While Manchester Airport topped Europe’s worst delays at 47.9pc Athens International Airport closely followed at 46.8pc. Other major tourism hubs like Milan Malpensa at 45.9pc and Palma de Mallorca at 45.7pc also saw severe congestion. Aer Lingus experienced the highest rate of summer delays at 49.3pc followed closely by ITA Airways at 46.8pc, easyJet at 46.5pc and Ryanair at 45.6pc.
Due to the ongoing US-Iran war and wider Middle East conflict many travellers shifted their holiday plans to European destinations perceived as safer. This triggered an unprecedented traffic surge with the Athens Flight Information Region recording a historic single-day high of 5,082 flights. Eurocontrol attributed the majority of the en-route delays to strict airspace capacity limits and staffing shortages among local air traffic control services.
