The five European airports with the most flight cancellations and delays last summer are located in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France, according to data from Flightright. At the national level, Palma, Barcelona-El Prat and Málaga-Costa del Sol lead the way in incidents in Spain, affecting thousands of passengers during the peak season.
The website specialising in defending air passenger rights has produced a report analysing the airports with the highest rates of cancellations and delays, which it considers to be the most risky and likely to ruin the holidays of many travellers this summer. Frankfurt Airport tops the European ranking with 1,658 cancelled flights and 24,623 delayed flights between June and August 2024.
It is followed by Heathrow in London, with 954 cancellations and 29,527 delays; Munich - Franz Josef Strauss, with 877 cancellations and 21,040 delays; Amsterdam - Schiphol, with 686 cancellations and 23,738 delays; and Charles de Gaulle in Paris, with 609 cancellations and 25,957 delays. In terms of cancellation rates, Frankfurt remains in first place with 2.49%, followed by Munich (2.02%), Zurich (1.81%), Heathrow (1.54%) and Gatwick (1.49%). In contrast, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport had the fewest cancellations in the summer of 2024, with only 99, although it accumulated a significant number of delays, 17,997 in total.
In Spain, Palma airport leads the national ranking with 407 cancelled flights and 18,845 delays, followed by Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, with 360 cancellations and 16,965 delays. Malaga-Costa del Sol ranked third in cancellations (122) and delays (9,658), while Madrid-Barajas and Ibiza airport complete the top five airports with the most incidents.
Analysis of the first half of 2025 reveals that Heathrow was the European airport with the most cancelled flights (1,596), followed by Amsterdam (1,499), Munich (1,002), Helsinki-Vantaa (928) and Charles de Gaulle (805). In terms of cancellation rates, Helsinki leads with 2.50%, followed by Brussels, Heathrow, Munich and Amsterdam.
In terms of delays, Heathrow tops the list with more than 45,000 delayed flights and a rate of 38.33%. It is followed by Charles de Gaulle (more than 38,000 delays), Amsterdam (more than 35,000), Frankfurt (30,911) and Madrid-Barajas (27,683). In Spain, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat tops the national ranking for cancellations in the first half of 2025 with 342 flights cancelled, followed by Madrid-Barajas (187), Malaga-Costa del Sol (130), Palma (113) and Bilbao (91).