Europe Is Ready For Travel Surge, Says Eurocontrol Chief

Eurocontrol Director General Raúl Medina has expressed confidence that Europe’s aviation network is prepared for a traffic surge during the peak summer season, but stresses the importance of industry players working together.

The European air traffic management organization’s latest traffic forecast expects about 33,000 flights per day from July to mid-August, marking a rise of more than 7% compared with same period last year. Traffic on Fridays will likely exceed 34,000 flights.

Speaking at the ACI Europe/ACI World Annual General Assembly in Barcelona, Spain, Medina says the industry is better prepared than during summer 2022, when staff shortages contributed to widespread disruption. However, he adds that collaboration among all stakeholders will be key to managing ongoing operational challenges.

“When we are asked if aviation is ready to cope with this increase of traffic, our answer is yes,” Medina says. “This year, we are clearly in a better situation than last year, as many of the causes of last year’s delays have been rectified.

“But this summer in Europe is challenging as we have less available airspace because of the war in Ukraine and the military needs. To be successful over the summer, we need everyone to play their part. Airports need to be well staffed—it is vital that [air navigation service providers] provide enough capacity and that airlines stick to their schedules.”

Medina says that increased military activity in Europe has reduced the amount of airspace available by up to 20%, meaning that some parts of the region are handling much more traffic because of rerouted flights.

“Aviation is a very dynamic ecosystem, and we have to cope with expected and unexpected events, such as managing industrial action, weather issues or military exercises,” Medina says.

“Recent industrial action caused many delays across the network. We can manage situations like that in quieter periods, but if it happens in the middle of summer, it will be much more challenging. We need to be prepared.”

Earlier this month, Eurocontrol and ACI Europe released a guide for airports to prepare for adverse weather conditions typically encountered during the summer.