The outlook for 2025 was alarming as the delay forecast in the Network Operations Plan raised serious doubts about whether the European ATM network would be able to cope with future traffic demand.
Yet, just as the industry braced for impact, 2025 showed a better outcome than initially feared. Average en-route ATFM delays decreased from 2.13 minutes per flight to 1.67 minutes in 2025. However, there is no cause for celebration as the performance of the European ATM network remains well below expectations, with en-route ATFM delays still higher than in 2019 and associated delay costs exceeding €2 billion in 2025.
The delays were driven by a limited number of capacity-constrained Area Control Centres (ACCs). Together the 5 most penalising ACCs (out of 65) generated almost half of the total en-route ATFM delay in 2025, despite controlling only 13% of total flight hours.
The challenges ahead for European ATM are expected to intensify, driven by uneven traffic growth, the effects of the current geopolitical situation (particularly in Ukraine and Iran), persisting capacity and staffing issues, rapid technological change, increasing environmental obligations, and continued economic pressures.
Read the full Performance Review Report 2025 for a comprehensive analysis of European ATM performance in 2025.