At the beginning of the summer, there was considerable concern about potential delays at airports across Europe due to weather, strikes, and ongoing geopolitical tensions. In reality, things have improved, Simon Hocquard, Director General and CEO of CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) told EU Perspectives.
CANSO represents air navigation service providers. While the association doesn’t operate air traffic control directly, it plays a vital role in coordinating and supporting the organisations that do. Simon Hocquard reflects on both the delays experienced and the encouraging signs of improvement across Europe’s airspace network.
Navigating the summer surge
What were your feelings as the summer approached?
If you had asked me at the beginning of the year, I would have said that I was concerned. I was worried about it from a delay perspective. This summer has been challenging — and it continues to be difficult. There have been delays, and it would be unusual not to admit that. Nobody likes delays, myself included. But in some ways, things have gone better than expected.
What are the main factors causing delays in European airspace right now? If we focus on the causes, which are dominant?
A major factor is that airlines are operating with about 20 per cent less airspace, largely due to the war in Ukraine. But it’s not only Ukraine; other conflicts, such as those in the Middle East, also affect European airspace. When conflicts arise, pressure shifts to surrounding regions like Azerbaijan, Croatia, Romania, and Hungary, where traffic has increased sharply and unexpectedly. Managing this extra traffic in real time creates delays. Many delays stem from such constrained hotspots.
It’s important to say that air travel demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, 2019 remains the key comparison because it was a year with very high traffic and delays. The fact that we’re back at those levels means the pressure on the system has returned and is growing.
How much has it gone up and how is the system currently handling this rise in demand?
Year-on-year, traffic is up by four to five per cent. Meanwhile, route availability is reduced. Add in major weather events like thunderstorms and wildfires, and air traffic must be limited in affected areas for safety. So, despite growing demand, capacity can be constrained. Delays come from external factors like weather and conflicts, but also from congestion, air traffic control, and operational issues — everything from catering to aircraft availability. It’s similar to a plumbing system: if one pipe closes, the water has to reroute somewhere.
That said, overall, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are performing better than last year, a fact that doesn’t get enough recognition. Eurocontrol’s Network Manager has acknowledged this improvement. In June 2025, total Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) delays—those caused by air traffic flow management restrictions such as congestion, weather, controller shortages, military restrictions, strikes, or technical failures—were down about 30 per cent compared to June 2024. This figure excludes delays from late boarding, baggage, or aircraft availability.
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Much of this improvement comes from weather-related delays falling nearly 50 per cent year-on-year. The average en-route delay per flight in June was about 2.5 minutes, down from roughly 3.9 minutes the previous year. [Editor’s note: While this is a clear improvement, 2.5 minutes per flight is still above the ideal target of around one minute or less.]
And July?
In July, traffic grew by three per cent year-on-year, but en-route delays fell by 31 per cent. This reflects better planning and coordination across the network. Breaking down en-route delay causes: capacity-related delays dropped 39%, staffing delays 16%, and weather delays 33%. These gains are the result of concerted efforts and improved network-wide collaboration.
It’s important to say that air travel demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, 2019 remains the key comparison because it was a year with very high traffic and delays. – Simon Hocquard, CEO and president of CANSO
Are delays still above target?
Yes, delays remain above target, which is a concern. The impacts are real: they disrupt passengers, airlines, and incur costs that may eventually be passed on to consumers. At the same time, we still have to see the whole picture. Single events can have a large short-term impact. For example, the French air traffic control strike at the beginning of July was a one-off that significantly distorted the monthly statistics, but it does not define the overall trend.
Are ANSPs, though, meeting their operational commitments?
Generally, yes. ANSPs operate under the Network Operations Plan (NOP), which commits them to certain capacity levels based on forecast traffic. While unexpected spikes can add pressure, ANSPs are delivering according to the forecasts they planned for. In summary, although challenges remain and delays are above targets, June and July’s figures show encouraging trends: delays are decreasing, coordination is improving, and the system is coping better with growing traffic.
I guess it is part of the training but there is a very real need to steel yourself against unexpected disruptions, isn’t there. Like force majeure events, aka acts of God?
Safety always comes first. Everything else revolves around that. Once you accept that, everything else follows. It’s about building resilience. Sure, one-off events like bad weather or technical failures happen. They don’t happen every day, but they do occur. Our controllers train annually for these unusual circumstances to manage them effectively.
When delays do happen—and when there are bad years—bad press usually follows. To be honest, I know a few people who planned their entire summer vacations by driving across Europe simply because they didn’t want to risk delays at airports. Let’s say a negative perception has built up, amplified by the media, how do you counter that?
Even as an industry insider who understands all the complex moving parts, when I’m personally delayed, I lose all patience. This is happening to me! To me! At the same time, airlines should also be able to predict with reasonable confidence that everything is going to work. Now, everyone has a role to play here—not just air traffic control, not just airports, not just airlines—it’s all of us together. While I think eradicating delays entirely is nearly an impossible task, ideally, it should only be those rare one-off events that cause them. And when delays do happen, I understand: it becomes very personal, and I think that’s true for most people.
Shifting from the individual experience to the broader industry, we’ve been discussing the immediate operational challenges, but what about the bigger picture? One major element is the Single European Sky initiative pushed by the European Commission. Are things going as planned?
That’s a really good question. The Single European Sky comes under criticism, namely because of delays, but it has forced Europe to work together more than before. It introduced performance indicators like KPIs, KPAs, and a regulatory environment aiming to unify air traffic management, making flying seamless from start to finish—for passengers, airlines, and operations alike. CANSO publicly supports its adoption, along with much of the industry. Beyond coordination, it has pushed cost-effective R&D for the future of European aviation. It makes sense, bringing together each country’s technical developments under a common European framework has created a more efficient and collaborative technological future.
However, the initiative does face challenges. We have learned that one size really doesn’t fit all. Some states need to invest in infrastructure but face cost penalties or can’t meet targets due to traffic fluctuations. Others want to innovate but are restricted by the current framework. What I would say is that while the Single European Sky hasn’t met all its original goals, it has delivered important progress. Without it, the situation would be far worse. Now, the focus is on tailoring the framework to accommodate different needs while keeping everyone on board. Is it 100 per cent successful? No. Has it achieved some things? Yes. Do we still need it? Definitely.
What about the cost pressures aviation faces today, especially because of investment in technology and capacity?
Everyone wants costs down—that’s natural, whether it’s your electricity bill or fuel costs. But in Europe, there’s such a cost-driven focus that ANSPs often can’t invest adequately in future technology and capacity. This creates a cyclical problem: funding and traffic forecasts are set on five-year cycles. When growth is high, investment is needed, but budgets were often fixed during low-growth periods that emphasised cost-cutting. As a result, investment tends to happen during aviation plateaus, not growth phases—exactly when the pressure is actually lower.
Balancing cost-efficiency with the need for investment is critical. If the aviation system can’t deliver on performance, safety, or environmental goals, prices will rise—putting pressure on all services, including air traffic management. Delays only add to those pressures. And without careful management, that imbalance can spiral into something more damaging. It’s in everyone’s interest to ensure the entire aviation ecosystem works well—because if it doesn’t, connectivity suffers, economies suffer, and it quickly becomes a broader systemic problem.
I know the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) 42nd Assembly is coming up in September. Among other things, it will deal with staff shortage. How is your organisation approaching the ongoing shortage of skilled personnel, and what are some of the ways that can be improved?
Aviation as a whole—not just air traffic—has a shortage of expertise. Whether it’s controllers, engineers, software specialists, new creative innovators, we’re struggling to attract the next generation. Aviation still isn’t seen as the most attractive industry, at least not yet. Bringing in fresh skills and new thinking is a key priority for all of us. ICAO has a programme called NGAP—the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals—which is active globally. Recently there was a major event in South Africa around that.
From CANSO’s side, we run an initiative called Tomorrow’s Voices, led by our own Angy Odysseos and Eduardo Garcia. There are several sides to the challenge. Attracting creative, forward-thinking young people is one part. But bringing in professionals with the right technical and operational skills is another. It’s interesting: getting pilots has traditionally been easier—cautiously speaking—because people know what a pilot is. It’s a recognised profession. But not many know what an air traffic controller does. It’s still a fairly “invisible” or secret part of the system. For instance, in CANSO we have recently launched a campaign called Guardians of the Skies, where we launched a series of videos to show what an air traffic controller does, following the life of one female ATCO in Ireland.
Aviation as a whole—not just air traffic—has a shortage of expertise. Whether it’s controllers, engineers, software specialists, new creative innovators, we’re struggling to attract the next generation. — Simon Hocquard
This is a side the public usually doesn’t get to see…
To the travelling public, aviation is often just pilots, cabin crew, baggage handlers, and check-in staff. But behind all that is a massive machine that needs to be better explained and marketed to new generations. There are so many moving parts, and just as many opportunities. If we don’t bring in new people, we risk being stuck with 1960s-era systems—and that’s not where we need to be. We need talent that can help shape aviation over the next 30 years. There is progress in some parts of the world. Brazil, for instance, is doing very well—particularly in attracting not only young people but also young women into the industry. That’s important. Aviation is still too male-dominated overall, and we’re actively working to change that.
But here’s another challenge. Traditionally, people came into this industry and stayed for decades. That’s changing. Many younger professionals today want to do something for a few years and then pivot to something else. I fully support that mindset—but it does raise real concerns. Training a controller takes time and is expensive. If someone leaves after just a few years, it creates disruption. So, the question becomes: how do we engage and retain them? How do we keep people motivated to stay in these critical roles?
We also created something called the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) Vision for the Skies of 2045. It’s a global effort, and I have the privilege of chairing the Global Council behind it. But it’s not just air traffic—it brings together airlines, ANSPs, Boeing, Airbus, eVTOLs, drones, the entire aviation ecosystem. We’ve put forward a roadmap and a full concept of operations for what the skies could look like in 2045.
A big part of that vision is about attracting young people—not just to the current industry, but to what it can become. We’ve got a roadmap and we’ve got concept operations. There’s a whole lot that’s being done.
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Simon Hocquard is the CEO and President of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), which represents air navigation service providers worldwide. He leads the organisation’s efforts to improve global air traffic management performance and support innovation and collaboration across the aviation sector.
