British tourists have been warned that three airports across Europe “will have the worst delays” in the next few months, according to an expert.
Experts from AirAdvisor have analysed the latest EUROCONTROL European Network Operations Plan between February and April 2025.
According to the report, Paris, Frankfurt, and London Heathrow are likely to face the worst delays.
The report offers an in-depth assessment of air traffic patterns, anticipated disruptions, and capacity limitations across European airspace for the coming eight weeks.
It identifies key congestion points, potential air traffic control (ATC) challenges, and operational risks, making it a valuable resource for readers seeking insights into upcoming travel conditions.
According to the experts, all these airports are operating at a near-full capacity, so any minor disruption can cause inconvenience to the passengers.
London Heathrow Airport handles an average of approximately 230,000 passengers per day, based on its 2024 total passenger count of 83.9 million travellers. However, daily figures can fluctuate significantly, with peak days exceeding 260,000 passengers, as seen in August 2024.
The highest single-day record was set on August 18, 2024, when 269,000 passengers passed through the airport. The expert explained: « If you look at London Heathrow and Gatwick, the demand is increasing but terminal expansion is slow. »
Paris airports, including Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly, are undergoing significant upgrades as part of long-term modernisation efforts. At Orly Airport, a new state-of-the-art baggage processing system has been installed at Terminal 3, capable of handling 3,600 bags per hour. This system includes automatic tray sorters and real-time barcode verification to improve efficiency and reduce errors.
The experts continued: « Not to forget, Paris (CDG & Orly) is already undergoing system upgrades, making it a hotspot for disruptions. On the other hand, Frankfurt’s traffic is 20% below pre-pandemic levels, yet its operational recovery has been slower than its rivals, making it highly vulnerable to surges in demand. »
Aviation expert and Founder of AirAdvisor, Anton Radchenko said: « Considering this, passengers need to plan ahead of time and choose airports wisely. The best-performing airports will be Madrid, Barcelona, Istanbul, Vienna, and Munich. Despite exceeding 2019 numbers, they don’t have ATC constraints and demonstrate strong operational efficiency, meaning they can absorb more demand.
« Alternatively, North-East axis routes such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Warsaw, and Budapest will be relatively smoother compared to peak-risk areas. These are well-managed with less probability of delays.
« Next, routes like UK-Spain, Germany-Turkey, and UK-US will experience the highest demand, leading to bottlenecks. For instance, UK-Spain has become Europe’s busiest leisure corridor as budget carriers like Ryanair, Wizz Air, and easyJet are expanding aggressively.
« While this keeps costs low, it leaves no room for delays, causing minor disruptions to snowball throughout the day. This means they’ll experience high-short-haul delays, while legacy carriers like Lufthansa and British Airways will struggle with long-haul punctuality. »
London Heathrow Airport has been approached for comment.
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