In case you haven’t already realised, air travel across Europe is currently pretty chaotic. But according to a new report from the online travel agency Hopper, there are some airports that are a lot more dysfunctional than others right now - and one German airport lands near the top of the list. If you can’t avoid travelling, the agency also has some tips for minimising disruption to your plans.  

Air travel chaos in Europe: Some airports struggling more than others

Airports across Europe have been struggling to cope with low staffing levels and surging passenger demand in recent months, resulting in huge queues at check-in and security, widespread delays, and thousands of cancellations.

But not all airports are equally affected by the disruption. According to current data from Hopper, which comes from the Official Aviation Guide, a provider of digital flight information and analytics, the proportion of flights delayed in European airports varies a lot.

The data for the first two weeks of July shows that the airports in Brussels (BRU), Frankfurt (FRA) and Eindhoven (EIN) were the worst offenders for flight delays and cancellations in Europe. In Frankfurt, more than two-thirds of flights were delayed and almost 8 percent were cancelled.

On the other end of the spectrum, Bergamo (BGY), Gran Canaria (LPA) and Otopeni (OTP) in Romania reported that less than 10 percent of their flights were delayed and less than 2 percent were cancelled. 

Worst airports in Europe for delays in July 2022

The airports with the worst records on delays and cancellations in July are as follows:

1. Brussels Airport, Belgium - 72 percent of flights delayed and 2,5 percent cancelled
2. Frankfurt International Airport, Germany - 68 percent of flights delayed and 7,8 percent cancelled
3. Eindhoven Airport, Netherlands - 67 percent of flights delayed and 1,8 percent cancelled
4. Luton Airport, UK - 66 percent of flights delayed and 2,7 percent cancelled
5. Liszt Ferenc Airport, Budapest, Hungary - 65 percent of flights delayed and 2,1 percent cancelled
6. Lisbon Airport, Portugal - 65 percent of flights delayed and 4,8 percent cancelled
7. Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France - 62 percent of flights delayed and 3,1 percent cancelled
8. Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands - 61 percent of flights delayed and 5,2 percent cancelled
9. Cote D’Azur Airport, Nice, France - 60 percent of flights delayed and 3,4 percent cancelled
10. Gatwick Airport, London, UK - 59 percent of flights delayed and 1,4 percent cancelled

Tips for avoiding flight delays

If you are flying this summer, Hopper has put together some tips for minimising disruptions. For instance, data shows that flights on Mondays and Tuesdays were around 21 percent less likely to be delayed over the last three weeks than those on peak Saturdays. If you can, fly midweek.

It’s also a good idea to book yourself onto the first flight of the day to minimise the risk of delays, as hold-ups and cancellations can work together throughout the day to more severely impact later flights.