EUROCONTROL’s latest summer traffic briefing shows European airspace continuing to run at record levels, with 37,659 flights on 24 July 2026, the fourth daily traffic peak of the season. July demand finished 2% to 3% above a year earlier and, for the first time in 2026, edged 0.4% above the comparable 2019 level. Low-cost carriers drove much of the growth, while network strain and punctuality remained operational challenges across the system.
The Week 33 update points to sustained momentum into August, with the network averaging 36,174 flights a day, about 3% higher than in 2025, and setting 12 new daily highs in a single week. Over the first 11 weeks of Summer 2026, traffic was 2.3% ahead of Summer 2025, while ATFM delays were 19% lower and arrival punctuality improved. Ryanair averaged 3,937 flights a day in July, up 6.7% year on year, and Istanbul remained Europe’s busiest airport, followed by Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Heathrow.