European aviation faces high summer delay rates

Data from flight rights portals Flightright and AirHelp reveal significant flight disruptions across Europe during the summer season. Between June 29 and September 14, 2026, approximately 37.2% of flights tracked by Flightright were delayed, with an additional 0.7% cancelled.

Germany experienced notable issues, with 31.2% of flights departing from German airports being delayed. Berlin Brandenburg recorded the highest delay rate among major German hubs at 35.6%, followed by Düsseldorf at 32.0% and Munich at 31.2%. Frankfurt performed slightly better with a 28.8% delay rate. AirHelp reported that roughly 8.4 million passengers departing from Germany were affected by delays or cancellations, representing 24.2% of travelers.

Across Europe, Greece saw some of the highest disruption rates, with 46.4% of flights delayed according to Flightright and 41.2% of passengers affected according to AirHelp. Other heavily impacted regions included Albania, Montenegro, Italy, and Switzerland. In contrast, Nordic countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark reported significantly lower delay rates, ranging between 14% and 26%.

Airline performance varied widely. Aer Lingus reported a 49.3% delay rate, while Lufthansa maintained a relatively lower rate of 25.0%.