According to data from compensation management company Skycop.com, nearly 218,000 departing flights in the EU, EEA and the UK were delayed by more than three hours or canceled, accounting for 1.5 percent of all departures. While this marks a slight improvement compared to 2023, the delays and cancellations translate to over 6 billion euros in potential compensation for affected passengers, with two-thirds of this amount usually remaining unclaimed.

In 2024, nearly 218,000 departing European flights were eligible for compensation under the EU261 scheme. Although some of these disruptions were caused by factors outside airlines’ control such as severe weather or strikes, the figures still point to a total of 6.5 billion euros in compensation. This estimate is based on conservative assumptions of 120 passengers per flight and a minimum payout of 250 euros.

Last year, the worst-performing aviation markets were Luxembourg (2.8% of disrupted departures), the Netherlands (2.7%), Iceland (2.6%), and Germany (2.2%). Among the major aviation markets, in addition to Germany, the UK (1.8%) and France (1.7%) also exceeded the European average of 1.5% in 2024.

The lowest proportion of disrupted flights last year was recorded at airports in Latvia (0.5%), Lithuania (0.6%), Greece (0.8%), as well as in Estonia, Slovakia, and Slovenia (all 0.9%), and Sweden, Malta, and Spain (each 1%). Interestingly, Spain had the largest passenger aviation market in Europe in 2024 based on the number of flights, yet it maintained one of the best undisrupted departure rates.

The highest likelihood of encountering a disrupted flight in Europe last year occurred in July (2.4%), while the lowest was in September (1%). 

European airlines and airports have somewhat improved performance from 2023 when 1.8% of departing flights were significantly delayed or cancelled. The most significant progress over the year occurred at airports in the Netherlands and Iceland, although these countries remain among the most problematic aviation markets for passengers. The biggest decline in performance was seen in Finland, which was the leader on the continent in 2023 with just 0.6% of disrupted flights. Last year, however, this Nordic country had 1.3% of significantly disrupted departures.

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