Europe noticed report air visitors this summer time regardless of disruption attributable to ongoing battle within the Middle East.
A median of 35,959 day by day flights – a year-on-year development of two.4 per cent – operated between 1 June and 31 August, in keeping with new knowledge from Eurocontrol, Europe’s air visitors administration coordinator.
On 10 July, a brand new highest-ever community visitors peak was recorded with 37,640 flights.
The info revealed on Friday added that visitors distribution was “influenced all through summer time 2026 by the Center East disaster”.
Eurocontrol mentioned: “This translated into decrease visitors in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Türkiye, however a excessive enhance in visitors in Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia – and steady development in south-west Europe.”
Flight arrival punctuality truly improved by 1.2 per cent from summer time 2025, with a median of 72.6 per cent of flights touchdown on time.
Air visitors delay constraints have been most regularly skilled in Marseille, Athens and Barcelona resulting from capability and staffing points over the summer time.
Visitors ranges are anticipated to stay excessive in September, exceeding 37,000 flights on Fridays, and can step by step cut back from October onwards, mentioned Eurocontrol.
Air passengers travelling through the UK have additionally damaged final 12 months’s record, regardless of the battle.
Greater than 81 million passengers travelled by way of the UK between April and June, breaking final 12 months’s report for a similar interval, new knowledge launched by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reveals.
Round 120,000 extra passengers boarded or disembarked at UK airports in the identical three-month interval in comparison with 2025.
Ross Lydall, spokesperson for the CAA, commented: “Demand for flying stays excessive, as passengers regulate their journey plans round international occasions.
“These outcomes spotlight the sector’s resilience and laborious work and maintain it on track for one more record-breaking 12 months.”
Learn extra: UK air passenger numbers break record despite Middle East disruption