The summer of 2024 will be remembered for the significant disruptions that have hit the air transport sector, causing inconvenience to millions of passengers across Europe and generating significant losses for airlines. These data emerge from a survey carried out by RimborsoAlVolo, a company specialized in providing assistance to travelers in obtaining refunds and compensation.

The summer period, especially between June and September, saw the peak of disruption. According to RimborsoAlVolo, airlines suffered economic impacts estimated at 3.5 billion euros. During these months, flights accumulated a total amount of delays equal to 16.9 million minutes, with an increase of 44% compared to 2019 and 48% compared to 2023 (Eurocontrol data). In addition, over 26,000 flights were canceled in Europe, leaving approximately 3.9 million passengers stranded. In June, there were approximately 33,671 daily flights; the number rose to approximately 34,200 in the months of July and August and then slightly decreased in September. Despite these problems, air traffic showed a growth of +5.2% compared to the previous year.

When analyzing the causes of disruptions, one of the main factors was the bad weather that particularly affected the western regions of Europe in the summer months. Many companies were forced to cancel or postpone flights due to adverse weather conditions. However, RimborsoAlVolo points out that staff shortages played a significant role in the current situation: many European airports faced difficulties related to the lack of human resources both in traffic control and ground operations.

This shortcoming is reflected in the difficulty of airlines and airports in adapting to new travel flows during the busy summer season. The economic consequences are clear: the delays have resulted in overall costs estimated between 1.44 and 1.77 billion euros for airlines due to additional operating expenses and passenger refunds.

RimborsoAlVolo has also drawn up a ranking of the most problematic companies of the summer based on the reports received from travellers regarding poor service: Ryanair is in first place with 38% of the reports; followed by WizzAir with 19.5%, Easyjet with 10%, Ita at 4.5%, Turkish Airlines at 3%, Volotea at 3.1%, Vueling at 2.8%, Lufthansa at 2.3%, Aeroflot at 1.9% and Neos at 1.6%.

Despite the difficulties experienced by passengers this summer, EU Regulation 261/2004 has continued to guarantee rights to air transport users by allowing them to request reimbursements of up to 600 euros in the event of delays of more than three hours or flight cancellations. Giuseppe Conversano, CEO of RimborsoAl