Challenges for European air travel
Europe could face travel chaos. That's the view of Eurocontrol, the company in charge of the regulation and safety of air traffic in Europe. According to the latest data, the number of passengers and flights is gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels. However, the same cannot be said for staffing levels.
Eurocontrol said many key regions, including Reims and Marseille in France, Athens and Budapest, would experience "high overloads" on most days. Similar warnings were issued for London, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Nicosia, Warsaw and Zagreb, especially on Fridays and summer weekends.
The war in the east has also had an impact, with the blockage of some air corridors. As a result, aircraft have been forced to take longer routes. The situation has also been exacerbated by the increase in the number of departures at peak times. For example, it is expected that there will be 33,000 flights per day in Europe over the next 8 weeks.
This puts a lot of airports at risk, especially the busiest ones. Even the smallest of delays can lead to a whole series of disruptions in travel.
The possibility of strikes should also not be forgotten. They are considered to be a major threat to the stability of the passenger transport sector. The spring strike in Germany had an impact of around 80,000 people. Ground staff at Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe airports have called for a strike. It is known that the largest trade union in Germany, Ver.di, is organising the protest action. This spring, airlines have cancelled more than 600 connecting flights and airlines in Stuttgart and Cologne have cancelled all scheduled flights due to the unstable situation.
The impact of a possible strike in August, for example, on continental logistics would be highly uncertain and could cause significant disruption and challenges to air travellers.
