Data from Eurocontrol has shown that in 2023, nearly three flights in every 10 arrived more than 15 minutes late (an increase on 2022 and 2019 figures).
The ‘all-causes’ or ‘schedule’ delay measures the difference between the time an aircraft arrives at/ departs from the parking position and the scheduled time. In 2023, the average schedule departure delay per flight was 17.8 minutes, which was similar to 2022. However, the average arrival delay in 2023 rose 0.2 minutes to 16.2 minutes. This lower delay on arrival is an indication of an airline’s ability to absorb part of the departure delay during the flight phase.
To identify schedule delay drivers, Eurocontrol’s analysis of the data focuses on the departure phase where airlines record the reason(s) for the delay; a flight might have both a reactionary delay caused by the late arrival of the aircraft and also some baggage loading delay or an Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) delay.
Reactionary delays added 8.2 minutes per flight in 2023, with peaks occurring in the afternoon and evening, which further underlines the need to keep delays as low as possible during the first rotation hours to reduce the risk of a snowball effect of reactionary delays later in the day.
Airline delays, which include passenger and baggage handling, cargo processing and technical issues, contributed on average 4.5 minutes per flight. ATFM en-route delays were found to add 1.9 minutes per flight with weather-related en-route ATFM delays particularly high due to increased convective weather in the summer. In addition, local weather delays at airports added 0.6 minutes per flight, bringing the total average weather-related departure delay to 1.2 minutes in 2023.
Airport restrictions, which include local ATC delays as well as ATFM arrival regulations due to ATC capacity, staffing, equipment etc. contributed 1.8 minutes per flight on departure. Meanwhile, government procedures, including security and customs checks added an average of 0.4 minutes per flight.
While Eurocontrol emphasised the work that goes in to reducing delays, it also underlined that this can only be achieved through effective cooperation between airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and the Eurocontrol Network Manager.