The number of cancelled flights in Europe rose 37 per cent in June as summer travel accelerated, increasing from 7,600 in May to 10,402 last month, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Disruption was even more rife in North America last month, with cancellations increasing by 188 per cent amid staffing issues, severe weather and a surge in holiday travel in the run up to the Fourth of July weekend.
Elsewhere, the number of cancellations in June fell in Asia-Pacific and was steady in the Middle East & Africa and in Latin America, according to Cirium.
A separate report from passenger compensation specialist AirHelp identified London Gatwick as the worst European airport for delays and cancellations in June, when services across the continent were affected by staffing levels, industrial action and the ramping up of summer schedules.
Lisbon, Copenhagen, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Antalya airports had the next greatest percentage of flights affected by delays and cancellations. At the other end of the spectrum, Helsinki, Dusseldorf, Oslo, Warsaw and Vienna airports saw the lowest percentage of flight delays and cancellations.
Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO AirHelp said: “Current staffing issues and strike actions have made it extremely hard for airports and airlines to get back on track, which has been made more challenging by the speed at which Europe’s travel appetite has returned.
“With air travel set to reach pre-pandemic levels this summer, the question for many passengers will be whether the industry has the resources to service this demand, and what this means for their own travels when facing disruptions.”
Meanwhile, Cirium data revealed LOT Polish Airlines was Europe's most punctual carrier in June, with 83 per cent of flights arriving on time.
Norwegian was a close second, with 82.02 per cent of all flights arriving on time. Iberia, Finnair and Austrian completed the top five.
Globally, Avianca was the most punctual performer, followed by LATAM Airlines, Qatar Airways, ANA and Saudia.