European Airlines With Most Delayed & Cancelled Flights January 1 – May 17, 2025

FlightRight has released a fascinating study of 20 European airlines with the most flights from January 1 to May 17, 2025, and the percentage of them that had been completely cancelled or delayed (minimum 15 minutes). It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Finnair leads all European […]

May 26, 2025 - 19:45

FlightRight has released a fascinating study of 20 European airlines with the most flights from January 1 to May 17, 2025, and the percentage of them that had been completely cancelled or delayed (minimum 15 minutes).

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Finnair leads all European airlines, with more than 3% of its flight schedule cancelled due to ongoing strikes. TAP leads all European airlines, with over 37% of its flights operating at least with a 15-minute delay.

Flight Delays – Top 20 Airlines in Europe (Jan–May 2025)

Rank	Airline	Delay Rate (%)	Delayed Flights	Total Flights
1	TAP Portugal	37.14%	15,615	42,047
2	Air France	22.65%	23,109	102,008
3	Swiss International	22.42%	11,523	51,396
4	Finnair	20.95%	9,063	43,253
5	Ryanair	20.73%	77,019	371,471
6	easyJet	20.63%	39,871	193,277
7	KLM	19.68%	26,626	135,296
8	Buzz	17.41%	6,869	39,446
9	British Airways	16.91%	18,876	111,655
10	Vueling	16.71%	12,898	77,177
11	Norwegian Air Shuttle	16.61%	5,593	33,675
12	Aegean Airlines	16.54%	6,011	36,345
13	ITA Airways	15.71%	7,373	46,918
14	Eurowings	14.59%	7,409	50,779
15	Lufthansa	12.68%	22,272	175,641
16	SAS	12.38%	10,451	84,448
17	Aer Lingus	11.44%	4,325	37,804
18	Iberia	10.78%	8,776	81,425
19	Austrian Airlines	10.75%	4,355	40,494
20	Wizz Air	10.23%	4,918	48,069

Note:

Departures across Europe from the 20 airlines with the highest number of flights.
Period: January 1, 2025 – May 17, 2025
(Delays are counted if the arrival is 15 minutes or more behind schedule.)
Source: Flightright

Flight Cancellations – Top 20 Airlines in Europe (Jan–May 2025)

Rank	Airline	Cancellation Rate (%)	Canceled Flights	Total Flights
1	Finnair	3.35%	1,448	43,252
2	KLM	2.04%	2,760	135,296
3	British Airways	1.58%	1,763	111,655
4	Aer Lingus	1.29%	486	37,804
5	Swiss International	1.29%	615	51,396
6	TAP Portugal	1.08%	456	42,047
7	Lufthansa	1.00%	1,757	175,641
8	Aegean Airlines	0.94%	342	36,345
9	Air France	0.88%	896	102,008
10	Norwegian Air Shuttle	0.65%	219	33,675
11	SAS	0.65%	549	84,448
12	Austrian Airlines	0.65%	263	40,494
13	Vueling	0.64%	491	77,177
14	easyJet	0.45%	870	193,277
15	Ryanair	0.29%	1,091	371,471
16	Buzz	0.25%	99	39,446
17	LOT Polish Airlines	0.02%	7	38,487
18	Iberia	0.01%	12	81,425
19	Turkish Airlines	0.01%	3	52,000
20	ITA Airways	0.00%	1	46,918

Note:

Departures across Europe for the 20 airlines with the highest number of flights.
Period: January 1, 2025 – May 17, 2025
(A cancellation is recorded if the flight did not operate at all.)
Source: Flightright

Conclusion

The EU is likely amending the EC 261/2004 legislation this year, which the airlines hate and have been busy lobbying against, making the delay much longer before the passenger is eligible for compensation.

Looking at the figures above, it shouldn’t be surprising that these airlines are paying tens of millions in compensation for affected passengers when they cannot operate their flight schedules.

Source