Spain’s worst airports for flight delays this summer ranked | World | News
Malaga is home to the airport in Spain with the second-highest number of flight delays this summer, with a shockingly low number of flights sticking to schedule.
As the busiest international airport in Andalucia, the Costa del Sol airport is significant for Spanish tourism and has flight connections to over 60 countries worldwide.
Operating three terminals the airport has a daily link to over 100 cities in Europe.
However, travellers have been left increasingly frustrated with a whopping 3.4 million passengers seeing their travel plans disrupted at the main gateway to the Costa del Sol.
A damning report from passenger rights firm AirHelp shows that more than one-third of all flights (36 percent) failed to stick to schedule during the peak summer season, causing havoc for holidaymakers and local residents.
But Palma de Mallorca tops the list, with 46 percent of flights disrupted during the summer season.
Long-haul flights to Abu Dhabi, Budapest, and Riyadh were some of the worst performing. However, Malaga Airport is considered the most punctual when it comes to its connection to Asturias.
The summer chaos was particularly bad on July 19, when a global technology meltdown impacted a wide range of sectors, from payroll to airports, from supermarkets to banks as well as the NHS.
This caused millions to have their foreign holidays thrown into jeopardy as global flights grounded to a halt and airport check-ins cancelled.
“On this one day alone, more than two million passengers had their flights disrupted across Europe,” AirHelp said. Some 600 flights were scheduled on the runways at Malaga Airport on that day, with passengers crowding terminals and complaining to staff due to the suspension and long waits of planes.
Strikes and weather conditions, such as the floods that occurred at Palma de Mallorca Airport, also caused major problems for air traffic at European airports
Fourteen million passengers were affected by delays or cancellations this summer across all Spanish airports, a five percent increase compared to last year’s high season.
Worst performing airports in Spain this year:
- With 5.9 million passengers Palma De Mallorca Airport took the top spot with 46 percent of flights not running to schedule.
- Coming in second place is Malaga with 36 percent of flights not running to schedule.
- Barcelona, the second largest Inernational Airport in Spain saw 34 percent of flights disrupted.
- Served by 40 different airlines Alicante Airport is in fourth with 32 percent of flights not running to schedule.
- Rounding up the top five is Spain’s capital Madrid whose airport saw 27 percent of flights not running to schedule.
Last year the worst-performing airports were Murcia, Costa Brava and Malaga, according to Airhelp.
In Murcia and Costa Brava, flights between January and June 2023, only registered 65 percent punctuality, inconveniencing approximately 50,000 people.