Palma Airport recorded the third lowest departure punctuality across Europe during summer 2026, with just 53% of flights leaving on time between June 1 and August 31, according to EUROCONTROL’s Special Summer 2026 Flash Briefing.
In the EUROCONTROL ranking of 29 major European airports, Palma Airport ranked 27th for departure punctuality. This placed it behind only Zurich Airport, which also had a 53% on-time rate, and Lisbon Airport with the lowest punctuality at 52%.
Two other Spanish airports featured in the survey. Madrid-Barajas Airport stood 19th with a 63% on-time departure rate, while Malaga Airport ranked 20th, posting a 62%
punctuality rate. Palma’s rate was 10 percentage points lower than Madrid-Barajas and nine points below Malaga.
Leading European airports showed significantly higher on-time departure rates. Stockholm Arlanda topped the list with 82%, followed by Oslo and Istanbul airports tied at 81%. Copenhagen and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen airports each achieved 80% punctuality rates. Airports such as London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris Orly, Milan Malpensa, and Rome Fiumicino posted rates ranging from 76% to 59%, all above Palma’s level.
Spain accounted for 17% of all en-route air traffic management delays across Europe during 2026 to date, with an average of en-route delays
14% higher than in the same period in 2025. This increase in delays contributed to the reduced punctuality observed at Spanish airports over the summer season.
The summer 2026 period coincided with peak passenger demand at Palma Airport due to its status as a major tourist destination. This surge in traffic combined with broader pressures on Europe’s aviation network exacerbated delays and disrupted punctual departures during June through August.
Travelers using Palma Airport over summer 2026 faced a lower chance of on-time departure compared to most European hubs, with only about half of flights leaving as scheduled. Madrid-Barajas and Malaga
also reported departure punctuality rates below many leading continental airports.
EUROCONTROL’s Special Summer 2026 Flash Briefing analyzed departure punctuality at key European airports throughout the June 1 to August 31 timeframe. The metric reflects the percentage of flights taking off within EUROCONTROL’s punctuality threshold, providing an assessment of airport operational performance during the summer months.
