Despite growth in air traffic of 6.5 per cent, Portuguese air navigation service provider NAV Portugal reduced en route delays by 71 per cent during the months of June to September, compared with the same period in 2024.
Average en route delays on flights controlled by NAV Portugal fell to 0.07 minutes per flight.
In total, 18,300 minutes of delays were recorded on 274,700 controlled flights in Portuguese airspace. The three-month period also saw a significant reduction in delays at domestic airports, particularly at Humberto Delgado Airport. Meanwhile, in Lisbon, where traffic grew by 0.8 per cent in the summer, the minutes of delay attributable to NAV Portugal’s operation fell by 54.8 per cent.
The positive trend is reflected in the overall figures for the year to date. Between January and September this year, controlled traffic increased by 5.9 per cent, exceeding 596,000 flights, while average en route delays fell by 7.7 per cent. Overall delays have fallen by 27 per cent since the start of the year.
“The significant reduction in delays in NAV Portugal’s operations is a decisive contribution to the sustainability of the aviation sector in Portugal, ensuring more efficient flights with a smaller environment footprint, even in a context of high demand,” said Pedro Angelo, Chairman of the Board of Directors at NAV Portugal.
The ANSP’s strong performance is underpinned by the investments made in recent years in new systems and operating procedures, as well as in human resources.
“None of this would be possible without the commitment and competence of our people, who ensure safe, efficient and sustainable air navigation services every day,” continued Angelo.
He also noted that due to the strong performance in recent months, NAV Portugal currently has an average delay per en route flight of 0.26 minutes, below the target set in the National Performance Plan (0.30 minutes) approved by the European Commission.
