Britons brace for summer travel chaos across Europe with France already hit

Britons heading abroad this summer have been urged to brace themselves for travel chaos across the continent.

Those travelling by plane could face severe delays as a result of air traffic congestion within European airspace.

Eurocontrol, which manages the flight corridors, issued the warning ahead of the peak season as school term times come to an end.

An estimated 33,000 flights are expected across Europe during the two-month period between July and early September, approximately eight per cent more than those scheduled in 2022.

Key destinations in France, Spain and Greece will bear the brunt of air traffic congestion, according to Eurocontrol.

Raúl Medina, director-general of the flight space company said in a statement: “This summer in Europe is challenging as we have less available airspace because of the war in Ukraine and the military needs… We need everyone to play their part.

“Airports need to be well staffed, it is vital [air traffic services] provide enough capacity and airlines stick to their schedules.”

While “high overloads” of traffic are expected to occur on most days throughout the peak travel season, some could be busier than others.

Important regions including Reims and Marseilles in France, Athens, and Budapest are expected to be consistently affected, as are London, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Nicosia, Warsaw and Zagreb on peak days.

Passengers flying on Fridays and the summer weekends in particular could face delays as a result of limited take-off slots and aircraft being forced to fly longer routes to avoid constricted areas.

The imminent chaos has been caused by increased military activity, which has reduced the amount of airspace available by up to 20 percent and forced many flights to be rerouted.

According to the Eurocontrol director-general, recent industrial action had also caused many delays which were manageable earlier this year but will be more difficult to navigate in the peak season.

And further strikes planned by traffic controllers in France remain one of the biggest obstacles to summer travel.

Short-haul flights leaving the UK and Spain are particularly at risk by French strikes because officials in France protect domestic departures and long-haul flights “overflying” the airspace.

Short-haul journeys that venture through French airspace but do not land in the country could therefore be cancelled on mass as a result.

Already, tourists have faced delays at the Calais ferry port on Sunday, when coach passengers were forced to wait two hours to be processed. Meanwhile, those who journeyed by car faced delays of 45 minutes for passport checks.

Despite disruption, holidaymakers have not been instructed to change their travel plans, but instead, to be prepared for delays.