Enaire strongly disputes Ryanair’s version of events. Photo credit: CatwalkPhotos/Shutterstock
If you’re heading to the airport this summer, you’ve probably prepared yourself for long security queues, expensive food and the possibility of a delayed departure. What you probably haven’t planned for is sitting on the runway while your flight creeps further and further behind schedule because of problems in the air traffic control system. According to Ryanair, that’s exactly what’s happening across Spain.
The airline claims more than 17,000 of its flights have been delayed since the beginning of April, affecting around 3.1 million passengers, and says the situation is getting worse just as the country’s busiest holiday period reaches full swing. With millions of people flying to and from Spain over the coming weeks, the warning is likely to concern anyone with summer travel plans.
Ryanair says delays are soaring
Ryanair says delays affecting its Spanish operations have increased by 47 per cent compared with the same period last year. The airline blames what it describes as chronic staffing shortages within Spain’s air traffic control system, arguing that thousands of delays could have been avoided if enough controllers had been available to manage flights during the busiest periods of the day.
According to Ryanair, passengers have borne the cost of a problem that should already have been addressed, particularly during a summer when airports are handling some of their highest passenger numbers in years. The airline is calling on the Spanish Government and air navigation manager Enaire to take urgent action before disruption worsens during the peak holiday season.
Millions of passengers already affected
The figures released by Ryanair suggest the scale of the disruption has become significant. The airline says around 3.1 million travellers have experienced delays on its Spanish routes in just three months. For many passengers, delays of 30 minutes or an hour may simply be an inconvenience.
For others, however, they can mean missed onward flights, disrupted holidays, cancelled hotel bookings or arriving home many hours later than planned. During the busiest weeks of summer, even relatively small delays can quickly spread through the day’s flight schedules, creating disruption that continues long after the original problem has been resolved.
Why are flights being delayed?
Ryanair argues that the biggest issue is a shortage of air traffic controllers. The airline says Spain has become one of Europe’s worst-performing countries for air traffic control delays and believes many of them could be avoided with better staffing levels, particularly during the first departure wave each morning when airports become busiest. It claims the current situation is creating unnecessary disruption for passengers and airlines alike.
Enaire rejects the criticism
Enaire strongly disputes Ryanair’s version of events. The organisation says flight delays cannot simply be blamed on Spanish air traffic control because several factors affect operations across Europe during the summer months. These include poor weather, restrictions affecting neighbouring countries, particularly France, military airspace requirements and exceptionally high traffic volumes across European skies.
Enaire also says it has already introduced a comprehensive Summer 2026 operational plan designed to reduce delays. The measures include recruiting 79 additional air traffic controllers, introducing new operational procedures and using upgraded technology to improve capacity at some of Spain’s busiest control centres. Officials argue that while delays cannot always be eliminated, the new measures are intended to improve resilience during periods of exceptionally high demand.
Could your summer flight be affected?
Not every delayed flight is caused by air traffic control. Weather, aircraft technical problems, crew availability and airport congestion can all contribute to disruption. However, air traffic control restrictions often have a knock-on effect because one delayed departure can quickly affect aircraft scheduled to operate later flights throughout the day.
Travellers flying during weekends, school holidays and peak afternoon departure periods are often more likely to experience delays simply because more aircraft are competing for the same airspace.
What should passengers do?
Anyone travelling to or from Spain this summer should continue checking flight information before leaving for the airport and monitor updates from their airline throughout the day. If significant delays occur, airlines operating within the European Union still have obligations to provide care, including refreshments and assistance depending on the length of the delay and the circumstances involved.
Compensation, however, depends on the reason for the disruption. Where delays are caused by factors considered outside an airline’s control, including some air traffic management restrictions, financial compensation may not apply under European passenger rights rules.
A warning during Spain’s busiest travel season
Spain remains one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations, with millions of visitors arriving every summer. Most flights continue to operate normally every day, and many passengers will complete their journeys without experiencing any disruption at all. Even so, Ryanair’s figures highlight growing pressure on the aviation system during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Whether responsibility ultimately lies with air traffic control, wider European congestion or a combination of several factors, one thing is clear. For millions of passengers travelling through Spain this summer, building a little extra patience into their holiday plans may prove just as important as remembering their passport.
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