- Online travel agency Hopper has unveiled the worst-delayed European airports so far in July.
- Brussels Airport in Belgium topped the list, while London Heathrow didn't make the top 10.
- A Hopper spokesperson told Bloomberg that it only looked at the percentage delayed, not passengers impacted.
The summer travel chaos is not slowing down as airlines and airports continue to struggle with booming passenger volumes.
On Tuesday, online travel agency Hopper published a study that calculated the percent of delays and cancellations at airports across Europe so far in July. The data, which was collected from flight analytics provider Official Aviation Guide (OAG), covers flights from July 1 to July 9.
London Heathrow has been struggling to keep up with the high volume of passengers this summer, mostly due to staffing shortages. The problems have gotten so bad that the airport has capped the number of travelers that can fly out and has asked airlines to stop selling tickets.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol imposed a similar cap for July and August, according to Airways Magazine, and German carrier Lufthansa canceled 900 flights out of Frankfurt and Munich due to staffing issues.
Despite the challenges at both airports, neither is one of the top five worst-delayed airports in Europe. Amsterdam sits at number eight, while Heathrow is at number 15, according to Hopper. However, the data is only for the first nine days of July, and should not be viewed as concrete, according to Bloomberg.
"On a volume basis, London Heathrow is much larger than most airports, and our ranking is based on percentage of delays not number of people impacted," a Hopper spokesperson told the outlet as context for Heathrow.
Heathrow has seen a 78% rise in delays compared to the summer of 2019, according to Hopper. On its worst day so far in July, the airport reached 62% of delays, which, on that day, would put it at number eight on the list and likely impact more travelers overall, Bloomberg reported.
Cote D'Azur Airport in Nice, France, which is the nation's second-busiest airport, handled much fewer passengers than Charles de Gaulle (CDG) International Airport in Paris. According to data analytic provider Centre for Aviation, Cote D'Azur saw 1.2 million passengers in May 2022. Meanwhile, CDG saw 5.2 million the same month.
Bottom line — because more passengers travel out of large airports like Heathrow and Amsterdam, more people could be impacted even if the total delay or cancellation rate is lower than smaller airports. Passengers should expect delays to continue through the rest of the summer and know what to do when things go wrong.
Fortunately for travelers, the European Union has laws in place that protect travelers when their flight is disrupted, including offering compensation. This benefit is not provided in the US, though carriers are required to refund canceled flights, regardless of the reason, according to the DOT.
Here are the 10 worst-delayed airports in July.
- Brussels Airport: 72% delayed and 2.5% canceled
- Frankfurt International Airport: 68% delayed and 7.8% canceled
- Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands: 67% delayed and 1.8% canceled
- Luton Airport in London: 66% delayed and 2.7% canceled
- Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary: 65% delayed and 2.1% canceled
- Lisboa Airport in Lisbon, Portugal: 65% delayed and 4.8% canceled
- Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris: 62% delayed and 3.1% canceled
- Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam: 61% delayed and 5.2% canceled
- Cote D'Azur Airport in Nice, France: 60% delayed and 3.4% canceled
- Gatwick Airport in London: 59% delayed and 1.4% canceled
