Airport weather delays and flight disruption odds

Between January 2018 and September 2026, weather restrictions on arrivals (EUROCONTROL reason W) hit Zürich on 33% of days — the most among 71 European airports with at least 30 such days; the median airport saw them on 4.2% of days. At UK airports in 2025, 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled or 3+ hours late (UK CAA).

How it works ↓

Data: EUROCONTROL Jan 2018 – Sep 2026; UK CAA 2025 · calculated 3 November 2026 · Methodology and sources

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The site counts the days when EUROCONTROL restricted arrivals at an airport because of weather. In fog, thunderstorms, strong wind or snow, the airport handles fewer landings, and aircraft wait for departure at their origin airport. At Europe's most exposed airports this happens on nearly one day in three; at a typical one, only a few percent of days. This is climatology for January 2018 – September 2026, not a forecast.

What a weather restriction on arrivals means for you

London Heathrow had weather restrictions on arrivals on 32% of days, but on average that works out at 1.42 minutes per arriving flight; Amsterdam Schiphol stands at 1.54 and Zürich at 0.90. The worst month is May for Frankfurt, December for Heathrow. Madeira sees restrictions on only 2.7% of days, even though the weather there is no kinder: flights divert or are cancelled, but that does not count as a restriction.

Flight disruptions are counted separately

Figures for flights 3+ hours late or cancelled exist only for the UK (CAA): in 2025 that was 1.6% of scheduled flights. It is a different measure, not a weather one.

European airports: days with weather restrictions on arrivals

Airport	Days with restrictions	Minutes per arrival	Worst month
Zürich ZRH	33%	0.90	July
London Heathrow LHR	32%	1.42	December
Amsterdam Schiphol AMS	23%	1.54	January
Frankfurt FRA	20%	0.60	May
Lisbon LIS	19%	1.28	November
Porto OPO	17%	1.46	August
Brussels BRU	17%	0.33	April
London Gatwick LGW	17%	1.07	October
Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle CDG	17%	0.26	November
Paris-Orly ORY	16%	0.40	December
Barcelona BCN	15%	0.88	September
Vienna VIE	15%	0.50	July
Palma de Mallorca PMI	14%	1.09	September
Munich MUC	14%	0.29	July
Madrid Barajas MAD	12%	0.28	December
London Luton LTN	12%	0.28	October
London Stansted STN	11%	0.39	December
Geneva GVA	10%	0.37	June
Helsinki Vantaa HEL	10.0%	0.21	August
Leipzig-Halle LEJ	8.9%	0.27	January
London City LCY	8.7%	0.71	December
Oslo Gardermoen OSL	8.7%	0.24	January
Istanbul International IST	6.7%	0.25	November
Naples NAP	6.4%	0.26	July
Warszawa Chopina WAW	6.1%	0.13	October
Milan Malpensa MXP	5.5%	0.14	August
Prague PRG	5.5%	0.24	December
Lanzarote ACE	5.4%	0.39	March
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen SAW	5.3%	0.28	February
Copenhagen Kastrup CPH	5.3%	0.13	January
Milan Linate LIN	5.0%	0.13	December
Dublin DUB	4.8%	0.18	December
Luxembourg LUX	4.5%	0.07	December
Bergamo BGY	4.4%	0.10	August
Nice-Côte d’Azur NCE	4.4%	0.20	October
Cologne-Bonn CGN	4.2%	0.11	January
Nantes-Atlantique NTE	4.2%	0.15	October
Tenerife North TFN	4.1%	0.18	July
Dusseldorf DUS	3.9%	0.08	May
Toulouse-Blagnac TLS	3.9%	0.07	December
Manchester MAN	3.8%	0.16	January
Paris-Le Bourget LBG	3.7%	0.25	May
Stockholm Arlanda ARN	3.4%	0.14	January
Rome Fiumicino FCO	3.4%	0.07	September
Fuerteventura FUE	3.2%	0.18	March
Venice VCE	2.9%	0.16	February
Málaga AGP	2.7%	0.09	March
Bordeaux-Mérignac BOD	2.7%	0.04	October
Madeira FNC	2.7%	0.14	July
Beauvais-Tillé BVA	2.6%	0.05	December
Ibiza IBZ	2.5%	0.18	September
Ankara Esenboğa ESB	2.3%	0.07	January
Stuttgart STR	2.3%	0.06	June
Istanbul Atatürk (since 2019: cargo and business flights) ISL	2.1%	0.45	March
Krakow Balice KRK	2.1%	0.18	December
Bristol BRS	1.8%	0.06	September
Gran Canaria LPA	1.6%	0.12	March
Thessaloniki SKG	1.6%	0.06	January
Innsbruck INN	1.6%	0.19	February
Chambéry-Aix-les-Bains CMF	1.5%	0.72	December
Athens ATH	1.5%	0.07	August
Hamburg HAM	1.3%	0.03	October
Edinburgh EDI	1.3%	0.04	June
Biggin Hill BQH	1.3%	0.13	December
Marseille-Provence MRS	1.3%	0.02	December
Farnborough FAB	1.2%	0.05	February
Berlin Brandenburg BER	1.2%	0.05	November
Liège LGG	1.1%	0.06	January
Stockholm Bromma BMA	1.0%	0.05	January
Warszawa Modlin WMI	1.0%	0.02	July
Bâle-Mulhouse BSL	0.9%	0.01	October

EUROCONTROL arrival regulations with reason “weather”, January 2018 – September 2026; airports with at least 30 such days. Airports where the network manager rarely regulates for weather (for example Madeira or the Azores, where flights divert instead) are not well described by this measure.

UK flights: 3+ hours late or cancelled

In 2025, 1.6% of scheduled flights at UK airports were cancelled or at least 3 hours late. See every airport, airline and 834 busy routes, with the UK261 compensation amount for each route.