European airports continue to deliver strong Summer performance

Europe’s airports are continuing to demonstrate resilience and strong operational performance as the busy summer season reaches its peak, according to EUROCONTROL’s latest Flash Briefing.

Covering 10-16 August 2026, the European network handled 36,174 flights per day during the week, 3% more than in the same period last year. At the same time, arrival punctuality rose to 74%, improving by 1.3% on the previous week and 0.7% points compared with 2025. Departure punctuality also increased, reaching 67%, 1.5% ahead of last year.

The positive picture is particularly evident at Europe’s busiest airports: Copenhagen leads the top 30 with 86% departure punctuality, followed by Stockholm Arlanda at 84% and Oslo at 83%. Istanbul, London Heathrow, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Amsterdam and Vienna all recorded departure punctuality of 76% or above.

The week also brought new traffic records at three airports: Istanbul Airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and Dublin, highlighting the continued strength of demand across Europe’s aviation network.

There are also encouraging signs at network level. Summer-to-date traffic is 2.3% above 2025, whilst ATFM delays are 19% lower and arrival punctuality is 1.9% higher. EUROCONTROL also reports that weather-management procedures have saved approximately 2.6 million minutes of en-route ATFM delays since May.

Together, the figures underline the airport community’s ability to handle sustained summer growth while continuing to improve operational performance for passengers and airlines.

Find out more in the full EUROCONTROL Flash Briefing here.