EUROCONTROL European Aviation Overview 2026 - Week 29

From 13 July to 19 July 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 29 (13 July - 19 July 2026)

The network averaged 36,201 daily flights in Week 29, down 0.5% compared to Week 28 and 1.9% higher than in 2025.  

The early signs of a recovery in traffic between Europe and the Middle East, which followed the US–Iran Agreement signed on 17 June, lost momentum after the agreement broke down in mid-July. Traffic increased by just 1% week-on-week and remained 3% below 2025 levels.

On average, the busiest 10 carriers improved their capacity by 0.3% compared to the previous week. At State level, the busiest 10 States recorded a decrease of 0.7% in flights compared to the previous week. Network arrival punctuality was 69%, slightly lower than in the equivalent week of 2025, while departure punctuality improved to 63% year-on-year.

En-route ATFM delays increased by 80% compared to the previous week, averaging circa 137K delay minutes per day, and were 11% above 2025 levels. Total air traffic flow management (ATFM) delay per flight was 4.4 mins/flight (3.8 for en-route, and 0.6 for airport).

Weather was the top delay cause (55% of all en-route ATFM delays), particularly in France, Germany, and Austria. The area control centres contributing the most to en-route ATFM delays (in mins/flight) were Reims (3.44 mins/flight), Marseille (3.33 mins/flight), Karlsruhe (3.32 mins/flight), Brest (3.01 mins/flight), and Belgrade (2.38 mins/flight).

Jet fuel prices in Europe have risen again, driven by renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East (following the collapse of the 17 June ceasefire between 7-13 July 2026), low European jet fuel inventories, and strong summer aviation demand. On 17 July 2026, jet fuel prices climbed to $3.66 per gallon, a 26% increase over the previous two weeks.

EUROCONTROL billed 1,110 M€ in en-route charges in June 2026, up 3% from June 2025, supported by a 1% increase in both Unit Rates and en-route Service Units.

Learn more

Download the latest European Aviation Overview for more details.

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EUROCONTROL European Aviation Overview for the period of 13 July - 19 July 2026

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