Holidaymakers face a “challenging” summer in Europe this year as air traffic control grapples with a surge in flights amid a post-pandemic travel boom, according to reports.
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management organisation, estimates around 33,000 flights will jet off per day between July and mid-August.
Traffic on Fridays will likely exceed 34,000 flights, Eurocontrol predicted.
That is more than a seven per cent rise on flights compared with the same period last year, Aviation Week reports.
Speaking at an industry conference ahead of the summer rush, Eurocontrol director general Raul Medina said: “This summer in Europe is challenging as we have less available airspace because of the war in Ukraine and the military needs. To be successful over the summer, we need everyone to play their part.
“Airports need to be well staffed—it is vital that [air navigation service providers] provide enough capacity and that airlines stick to their schedules.”
Mr Medina said that increased military activity in Europe has reduced the amount of airspace available by up to 20 per cent, with some regions handling much more traffic because of rerouted flights, Aviation Week reports.
Eurocontrol said air traffic control would experience “high overloads” of traffic on most days, including Reims and Marseilles in France, as well as Athens and Budapest.
It issued similar warnings for London, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Nicosia, Warsaw and Zagreb on peak days, especially Fridays and over the summer weekends, according to The Times.
“Overloads” can result in delays and aircraft being forced to fly longer routes to avoid constricted areas.
Despite the warnings, Mr Medina said the aviation industry is “clearly in a better situation than last year” because “many of the causes of last year’s delays have been rectified”.
“When we are asked if aviation is ready to cope with this increase of traffic, our answer is yes,” Mr Medina said.
Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association, warned last month that airlines had serious concerns about air traffic control and that disruption in June was “well beyond what is normal for the time of year”.
He warned that air traffic control strikes by staff in France caused disruption right across Europe, because it forces airlines to reroute to other countries.
A 34-hour strike by the French air traffic controllers ended on June 30. It was the 60th day of industrial action following President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the walkouts prompted cancellations of around 12 per cent of its planned flights - including 400 flights on one day last month.
