Mounting European Air Traffic Delays Stir Aviation Industry’s Concerns

European airline delays “have more than doubled” this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported, and the failure to address the issue by governments and air traffic control providers will leave the industry unable to prevent increasing delays as the busy summer season progresses.

According to IATA, new data shows that in the first half of 2018, Air Traffic Management (ATM) delays more than doubled to 47,000 minutes per day, 133 percent more than in the same period last year. “Most of these delays are caused by staffing and capacity shortages as well as other causes such as weather delays and disruptive events such as strikes,” IATA said in a press release.

The average flight delay was 20 minutes in July, with the longest delay reaching 337 minutes, according to the data, culled from an intergovernmental organization called Eurocontrol.

As airlines have added flights to new destinations to meet growing traveler demand, “air traffic in Europe is on the rise, creating greater demands on the continent’s airspace,” IATA said in the press statement. Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), however, have not kept up with that demand.

“Unfortunately, key ANSPs in Europe have not made needed investments in their businesses, preferring instead to make super-normal profits,” IATA said. “The largest service providers have either under-invested in staff or use outdated employment practices which don’t deploy staff when and where they’re most needed, resulting in unnecessary delays for passengers. Many European ANSPs have also failed to make planned technology investments intended to increase capacity.”

These conditions, IATA said, could create deteriorating customer experiences as the peak summer travel season arrives in July and August.

“We are in the summer season in Europe,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO. “Travelers want to get to their holidays on time. And too many will be disappointed because of air traffic delays.”

De Juniac said “there is no quick fix for this year,” but with “the correct investment and planning … we can, and must, make next year better.”

IATA has been lobbying the European Commission, member states and ANSPs to modernize their infrastructure and accelerate a “Single European Sky” air traffic management system.

The organization, also called for various entities to “reform outdated work practices so that staff are deployed when they’re required” and recruit additional staff; empower an existing entity called the European Network Manager “to plan and configure the network to meet the demands of air travelers;” and reevaluate the ANSPs services and fees to hold them more accountable for deficiencies.

The impact of air traffic control delays “ripple throughout the economy. At a time when Europe’s competitiveness urgently needs to be improved, increasing ATM delays is totally unacceptable. Travelers are fed-up. Change must start now,” said de Juniac.