Passenger numbers at European airports are expected to reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels in July and August as travelers prepare for summer vacations.
To evaluate how airports are managing the surge in travelers, AirHelp, a passenger rights company, conducted an analysis of flight delays and cancellations in June at European airports with 5,000 or more flights.
The findings shed light on the best and worst-performing airports during this busy season.
According to AirHelp’s assessment, London’s Gatwick Airport ranked as the airport with the highest percentage of flight disruptions, with 54% of its flights meeting AirHelp’s disruption criteria.
Conversely, Finland’s Helsinki airport stood out as the least affected, with only 18% of flights experiencing disruptions.
Schiphol (Amsterdam) and Heathrow (London), two of Europe’s busiest airports, fell somewhere in between.
Schiphol had 36% of flights affected, while Heathrow experienced disruptions to nearly 40% of its flights.
Demand from Brazilian and U.S. travelers to Europe has been outpacing 2019 growth by up to 20%, contributing to rising ticket prices.
Travelers should expect long queues at airports, particularly in Spain, which witnessed an 18% increase in international tourism compared to 2022 and a record-breaking number of visitors.
To mitigate travel congestion, it is recommended to book the first flight of the day, opt for travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and choose direct flights whenever possible.
AirHelp compiled rankings of the 10 worst and 10 best European airports based on flight disruptions to provide a snapshot of airport performance.
The worst-ranked airports with the highest percentage of disruptions include
- London Gatwick Airport,
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport,
- Copenhagen Kastrup Airport,
- Paris Charles de Gaulle,
- Antalya Airport,
- Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen,
- Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci,
- Manchester International Airport,
- Milan Malpensa Airport, and
- Frankfurt International Airport.
Conversely, the airports offering the smoothest summer travel experience, with the lowest percentage of disrupted flights, were
- Helsinki-Vantaa Airport,
- Düsseldorf International Airport,
- Oslo Gardermoen Airport,
- Warsaw Chopin Airport,
- Vienna International Airport,
- Madrid-Barajas International Airport,
- Barcelona-El Prat Airport,
- Stockholm Arlanda Airport,
- Istanbul Havalimani Airport, and
- Berlin Brandenburg.
Travelers can use these rankings and the provided tips to plan their journeys effectively and minimize potential disruptions during the summer season.