Eurocontrol reports record summer traffic with improved punctuality

European air traffic set 66 new daily records in the summer of 2026. The busiest day, 10 July, handled 37,640 flights, the most connections ever handled in a single day.

From June to August, an average of 35,959 flights were handled each day, 2.4 percent more than in 2025. The records covered airlines, airports, control centres and states.

Delays caused by traffic flow management fell 17 percent to an average of 3.27 minutes per flight, and arrival punctuality rose 1.2 percentage points to 72.6 percent. Despite the higher flight numbers, the summer performed better on both measures than the previous year, according to Eurocontrol.