Mallorca badly affected by flight delays

Flights between the UK and Mallorca are the most badly affected by delays so far this summer.

A recent report by Simply Flying found budget airlines easyJet and Ryanair to have suffered the most flight delays this summer, with flights between the UK and Mallorca being the most badly affected. Delays have been particularly bad in between Palma de Mallorca and Gatwick, which has a high of 45 delays so far this summer, and Manchester, ranking second with 28 delays to date [EUclaim]. Heathrow has so far suffered the most cancellations and airlines Jet2 and Thomsonfly have also been subject to notable delays.

When French air traffic controllers went on strike back in April after disputes with the national government, thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled. However, despite the strike having ended months ago, the issue of flight disruption continues.

A study by EUclaim has centred predominantly on flights with delays of more than 3 hours, and suggests that the issues with keeping to the strict flight schedules have been caused by a combination of IT problems, air traffic control restrictions and a lack of airport staff.

Since the pandemic an imbalance between a lack of air traffic controllers, combined with an increase in people wanting to travel, has been attributed in great part to disruptions across the region. Ryanair, aware of the negative impact the delays could have on the airline itself, is calling for air traffic control to be reassessed and reformed, and for the issue to be tackled properly.