EUROCONTROL European Aviation Overview 2026 - Week 21

From 18 to 24 May 2026
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EUROCONTROL's European Aviation Overview provides a detailed snapshot of the latest network trends.

It uses the latest traffic data to show how States, airports and airlines are performing, with further analysis of key topics, such as delays and fuel prices.

Week 21 (18 - 24 May 2026)

The network averaged 33,247 daily flights in Week 21, an increase of 5.0% from Week 20, and 1% higher than in 2025.

Traffic between Europe and the Middle East remained significantly depressed, but early signs of recovery are emerging with the decrease narrowing from -38% in Week 19 to -24% in Week 21 year-on-year.

On average, the busiest 10 carriers improved their capacity by 2.8% compared to the previous week.

At State level, the busiest 10 States recorded a 5.1% increase in flights compared to the previous week.

Network arrival and departure punctuality were 81.1% and 75.8%, higher than the equivalent week in 2025.

En-route ATFM delays decreased by 7% compared to the previous week, averaging circa 39K delay minutes per day, and remained 38% below 2025 levels. Total air traffic flow management (ATFM) delay per flight was 1.6 min/flight (1.2 for en-route, and 0.4 for airports).

ATC capacity/staffing was the top delay cause (65% of all en-route ATFM delays), particularly in Spain and in France. 

The area control centres contributing the most to en-route ATFM delays (in mins/flight) were Barcelona (1.63 min/flight), Athens (1.56 min/flight), Brest (1.23 min/flight) Makedonia (1.04 min/flight), and Reims (1.04 min/flight).

Jet fuel prices averaged $3.96 per gallon on 22 May 2026, up slightly (+1%) from $3.94 over the previous two weeks. Overall, jet fuel prices were more stable during May, averaging 11% below March levels and 14% below April 2026.

EUROCONTROL billed 952M€ in en-route charges in April 2026, down 2%  compared to April 2025, reflecting a 4% decline in service units and only a 1% increase in the unit rate, amid the ongoing impact of the Middle East crisis.

Learn more

Download the latest European Aviation Overview for more details.

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EUROCONTROL European Aviation Overview for the period of 18 - 24 May 2026

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