Europe saw record air traffic this summer despite disruption caused by ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
An average of 35,959 daily flights – a year-on-year growth of 2.4 per cent – operated between 1 June and 31 August, according to new data from Eurocontrol, Europe’s air traffic management coordinator.
On 10 July, a new highest-ever network traffic peak was recorded with 37,640 flights.
The data published on Friday added that traffic distribution was “influenced throughout summer 2026 by the Middle East crisis”.
Eurocontrol said: “This translated into lower traffic in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Türkiye, but a high increase in traffic in Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia – and continuous growth in south-west Europe.”
Flight arrival punctuality actually improved by 1.2 per cent from summer 2025, with an average of 72.6 per cent of flights landing on time.
Air traffic delay constraints were most frequently experienced in Marseille, Athens and Barcelona due to capacity and staffing issues over the summer.
Traffic levels are expected to remain high in September, exceeding 37,000 flights on Fridays, and will gradually reduce from October onwards, said Eurocontrol.
Air passengers travelling through the UK have also broken last year’s record, despite the conflict.
More than 81 million passengers travelled through the UK between April and June, breaking last year’s record for the same period, new data released by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) shows.
Around 120,000 more passengers boarded or disembarked at UK airports in the same three-month period compared to 2025.
Ross Lydall, spokesperson for the CAA, commented: “Demand for flying remains high, as passengers adjust their travel plans around global events.
“These results highlight the sector’s resilience and hard work and keep it on course for another record-breaking year.”
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