Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport has been identified as the European airport with the highest percentage of delayed departures during the summer of 2026, according to new data from European air traffic management coordinator Eurocontrol. The airport recorded 52% departure punctuality.
Zurich followed in second place with 53% of flights on time, trailed by Palma de Mallorca, also at 53% but with a higher rate of non-operated flights. Athens ranked fourth with 54% punctuality, and rounding out the top five worst airports was Manchester Airport in the UK, with 55% of its departures on time.
Manchester Airport's Terminal 3 was previously named the UK's worst airport earlier in 2026, receiving a 52% customer score and two stars across categories including cleanliness and seating. One passenger described the terminal, which primarily serves Ryanair, as "quite appalling" due to long check-in queues, delays for amenities, and a lack of seating.
London Gatwick also appeared in the bottom ten for punctuality, with 59% of its departures on time.
Across all European airports analyzed, the overall departure punctuality for summer 2026 was 66.3%, an improvement of 2.4 percentage points compared to the previous year. Despite the persistent issues at certain airports, improvements in punctuality were noted in Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, and Hungary compared to 2025.
Eurocontrol's briefing also indicated that the Middle East crisis influenced traffic distribution throughout the summer. This led to reduced traffic in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Turkey, while traffic increased significantly in Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. Growth was also continuous in southwestern Europe.