Record summer for tourism, but canceled flights triple: AirHelp data

The summer that has just ended was a record-breaking one for Italian tourism but at the same time the months from June to August were marked by several inconveniences for those who traveled by plane: the number of passengers who found themselves stranded because their flight was canceled tripled compared to the same period in 2025, going from 406 thousand to almost 1.3 million. The impact was a close sequence of air transport strikes in each of the most intense months for the travel industry. The survey comes from AirHelp, a travel sector company that deals with airline disruptions.

However, there was a slight improvement in terms of delays: the share of flights with delays of more than 15 minutes went from 32.7% in summer 2025 to 28.6% this year.

The right to compensation

«Given these numbers, awareness of a right provided for by European legislation remains low: the right to compensation» AirHelp points out, recalling that EC Regulation 261/2004 recognizes «passengers involved in delays of more than 3 hours, cancellations with less than 14 days notice or denied boarding due to overbooking, compensation ranging from 250 to 600 euros, depending on the distance of the route».

The summer strikes

The trade union unrest that marked the entire summer season increased the number of canceled flights. Starting from the strike of 13 June which involved in particular EasyJet staff and the Milan Linate, Cagliari and Verona airports. In July the "black" day was July 5th.