Yes Summer holidays They were going to be very complicated for many Spaniards, or directly null because they find them impossible to materialize themfor which their bags can be made a perfect storm in the form of prediction. Europe warns: it is very possible that the typical summer air chaos is a thorough with what is to come.
The perfect storm. Yes, the European Commission has warned that this summer the record of Delays and aerial cancellations due to one Critical combination of factors. Namely: the unprecedented demand after pandemic, the chronic shortage of air controllers, labor strikes and the impacts of climate change.
The European air traffic control system operates to the limitmanaging near 37,000 daily flights In its most intense days, the maximum you can assume with the current template. Although traffic has increased by 5% compared to the same 2024 period, delays have also increased in equal proportion, predicting a repetition of chaos that marked the previous summer. The most affected areas: Key tourist destinations such as France, Germany, Greece and Spain, where “high” delays are anticipated due to the inability of the control centers to absorb the planned traffic flow.
Strikes, obsolete systems and blackouts. One of the most critical foci is France, where The recent strikes of air controllers due to lack of personnel and aged equipment caused the 4,000 flight interruption In just two days. Europe Millionaire losses due to the operational collapse in Charles de Gaulle.
The European Transportation Commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, has also indicated the reduction of airspace available in the continent as a direct consequence of the war in Ukrainewhich further overloads open routes. In this context, the call to the EU transport ministers It has been clear: States must ensure that aerial controllers comply with the promised capacity and are present where they are most needed.
Climate change. To the technical and labor difficulties an increasing and unpredictable factor is added: Climate change. Forest fires have already forced to close temporarily Marseille airportwhile in Greece the high temperatures They forced the closure of tourist monuments such as acropolis.
Community authorities fear that this type of extreme phenomena (Heat waves, storms, fires) become more frequent and dangerous for aviation. With airports “more busy than ever”, such as The Tzitzikostas Commissioner warnedthe risk of operating chaos is higher than ever.
Slow formation. I pointed The Financial Times That another bottlenecks is structural: the formation of air controllers in Europe requires up to five yearswhich prevents an agile response to the growing demand. The commission collaborates with air security agencies to review these regulations, but immediate results are not expected.
Meanwhile, associations such as IATA They accuse the managers of the European system of systematically breaking the capacity of capacity without consequences or sanctions, qualifying the situation of “unacceptable” and accusing a gap between the plans and the reality that “approaches the field of fantasy.”
Fragmented sky. Air operators also insist that part of the problem It is political: The EU has not completed the initiative of the Unique European skywhich would allow to draw more direct routes between countries instead of the current fragmented system that forces aircraft to deviate through multiple intermediate points.
This lack of coordination Increase costs operational, fuel consumption and flight times. As illustrated in the Times A high manager of a large tourism agency: “A London flight to Cyprus is not in a straight line, it crosses several unnecessary air points because Brussels has been exasperatingly slow.”
The price to pay. If you want also, what is at stake is not only operational efficiency, but Trust of millions of passengers and The prestige of one of the dense and complex air spaces on the planet. Airlines already alert customer reaction: Anxiety, preventive cancellations and fear of summer collapse.
With an air network to Edge of saturationwithout sufficient personnel reservations and with growing threats due to both natural and geopolitical causes, Europe faces the urgent challenge of reorganizing its air control system, modernizing its infrastructure and eliminating obstacles that prevent unified management.
Otherwise, this summer aims to be, not only the worst in terms of delays and cancellations, but also the definitive notice that the sky of the old continent needs a revolution at several levels.
Image | Bruno Sanchez
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