Latest news with #ParisCharlesdeGaulle
Saudi Gazette
5 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Norway leads Europe's best airports list
BRUSSELS — As millions of Europeans set off on their summer travels, new data reveals which airports are most likely to deliver a smooth journey – and which ones might test your patience. AirHelp, a passenger rights organisation, has just released its annual global airport ranking, assessing performance based on punctuality, passenger satisfaction and service quality. And, while major hubs like Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Gatwick failed to impress, several smaller European airports stood out for their reliability and customer care. Cape Town International Airport in South Africa ranked first overall, scoring 8.6 for punctuality and 8.7 for customer opinion to top a list of 250 international airports from 68 different countries. The best-performing airport in Europe overall was Bergen Flesland in Norway, which came 9th globally and topped European airports for punctuality. Other high scorers in Europe included Bilbao Airport in Spain's Basque region (16th), Bodø Airport (23rd) and Oslo Gardermoen (28th), also in Norway, and Reykjavik Keflavík in Iceland (30th).Despite ranking 130th overall, Luxembourg Airport scored 9.0 for customer opinion, putting it atop all other European airports in that category, while Amsterdam Schiphol (111th overall) scored highest in Europe for food and drinks, scoring and perhaps unsurprisingly, given recent air-traffic control strikes and criticism about the country's performance, France's best-scoring airport, Toulouse-Blagnac, ranked just 101st it topped the French list for the second year running, earning solid scores for punctuality and customer satisfaction, though it rated slightly lower for shopping and dining. In 181st, Paris Charles de Gaulle performed poorly across all metrics, with frequent delays and low customer ratings dragging down its Gatwick ranked 235th, with low marks across the three still outperformed Europe's worst airport, Rhodes Diagoras. The Greek island air hub scored a paltry 6.05, with a 5.8 for punctuality. That score put it in 249th, one spot above the world's worst by these metrics, Tunis Carthage methodology gives the most weight – 60 per cent – to on-time performance, based on flights departing or arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. Rhodes Diagoras' score of 5.8 for punctuality, for example, translates to 58 per cent of flights running on remaining 40 per cent is split evenly between passenger feedback on airport staff, cleanliness and general experience, and services offered, such as restaurants and bulk of the data was gathered from multiple vendors and cross-referenced with statistics from government agencies, airports, flight-tracking vendors and historical resources. To gather user reviews, AirHelp surveyed travellers in more than 58 countries and gathered more than 13,500 unique airport rankings cover only airports with a substantial number of international flights, using data collected between 1 June 2024 to 31 May delays and cancellations are often beyond an airport's control, the highest-performing airports tend to be those that combine operational efficiency with attentive service and clear to AirHelp's findings, travellers looking to reduce their stress this summer may want to opt for smaller regional airports in Scandinavia, where the odds of a smooth journey are markedly better than at the continent's biggest transport hubs. — Euronews
Euronews
6 days ago
- Euronews
Europe's best and worst airports ranked for 2025
As millions of Europeans set off on their summer travels, new data reveals which airports are most likely to deliver a smooth journey – and which ones might test your patience. AirHelp, a passenger rights organisation, has just released its annual global airport ranking, assessing performance based on punctuality, passenger satisfaction and service quality. And, while major hubs like Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Gatwick failed to impress, several smaller European airports stood out for their reliability and customer care. Which airports are Europe's best? Cape Town International Airport in South Africa ranked first overall, scoring 8.6 for punctuality and 8.7 for customer opinion to top a list of 250 international airports from 68 different countries. The best-performing airport in Europe overall was Bergen Flesland in Norway, which came 9th globally and topped European airports for punctuality. Other high scorers in Europe included Bilbao Airport in Spain's Basque region (16th), Bodø Airport (23rd) and Oslo Gardermoen (28th), also in Norway, and Reykjavik Keflavík in Iceland (30th). Despite ranking 130th overall, Luxembourg Airport scored 9.0 for customer opinion, putting it atop all other European airports in that category, while Amsterdam Schiphol (111th overall) scored highest in Europe for food and drinks, scoring 8.3. Meanwhile, and perhaps unsurprisingly, given recent air-traffic control strikes and criticism about the country's performance, France's best-scoring airport, Toulouse-Blagnac, ranked just 101st globally. Still, it topped the French list for the second year running, earning solid scores for punctuality and customer satisfaction, though it rated slightly lower for shopping and dining. In 181st, Paris Charles de Gaulle performed poorly across all metrics, with frequent delays and low customer ratings dragging down its score. London Gatwick ranked 235th, with low marks across the board. All three still outperformed Europe's worst airport, Rhodes Diagoras. The Greek island air hub scored a paltry 6.05, with a 5.8 for punctuality. That score put it in 249th, one spot above the world's worst by these metrics, Tunis Carthage Airport. How the rankings were calculated AirHelp's methodology gives the most weight – 60 per cent – to on-time performance, based on flights departing or arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. Rhodes Diagoras' score of 5.8 for punctuality, for example, translates to 58 per cent of flights running on schedule. The remaining 40 per cent is split evenly between passenger feedback on airport staff, cleanliness and general experience, and services offered, such as restaurants and retail. The bulk of the data was gathered from multiple vendors and cross-referenced with statistics from government agencies, airports, flight-tracking vendors and historical resources. To gather user reviews, AirHelp surveyed travellers in more than 58 countries and gathered more than 13,500 unique airport ratings. The rankings cover only airports with a substantial number of international flights, using data collected between 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2025. While delays and cancellations are often beyond an airport's control, the highest-performing airports tend to be those that combine operational efficiency with attentive service and clear communication. According to AirHelp's findings, travellers looking to reduce their stress this summer may want to opt for smaller regional airports in Scandinavia, where the odds of a smooth journey are markedly better than at the continent's biggest transport hubs.
Kuwait Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Air traffic controllers strike hits Europe summer travel
Workers protest over 'toxic management', understaffing PARIS: French air traffic controllers launched a two-day strike on Thursday to protest understaffing and 'toxic management', disrupting travel for tens of thousands of people in Europe at the start of a busy summer holiday season. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in France, with the strike by two French unions also affecting air traffic across western Europe. Half of all flights in Nice, France's third-largest airport, and a quarter of flights at Paris Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle, one of Europe's busiest hubs, have been cancelled. Disruption is expected to worsen on Friday, the eve of the school holidays. 'We're trying to stay positive, there are worse things, but it's annoying,' Nadia Rivet, a 51-year-old bank employee, told AFP. Rivet was planning to spend six days in the French capital but her flight from the southwestern city of Pau on Thursday morning was cancelled. 'Everyone has the right to strike, but it's punitive. Air traffic controllers aren't the worst off,' she said, adding she hoped to have more luck on Friday. The DGAC civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cancel some of their flights to ensure there are enough controllers on duty. 'Held to ransom' Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, said Thursday it was forced to cancel 170 flights, affecting 30,000 passengers. 'Once again European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike,' said Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. The airline pointed out that most disrupted passengers were not flying to or from France but overflying French airspace. 'It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays,' O'Leary said. He urged European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to take 'urgent action' to protect overflights, among other reforms. Airlines for Europe (A4E), an industry association which includes Ryanair, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways and EasyJet, described the action as 'intolerable'. According to sources, 270 air traffic controllers out of a total workforce of around 1,400 went on strike. UNSA-ICNA, the second biggest labor group in the sector, launched the action to demand better working conditions and more staff. 'Toxic management' The union is protesting 'chronic understaffing', the planned introduction of a clock-in system, outdated equipment and 'toxic management practices that are incompatible with the requirements of calm and safety'. It was joined by the third largest union, USAC-CGT. France's Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called the unions' demands unacceptable'. The main air traffic controllers' union, SNCTA, had no plans to join the strike. Airports in the south were particularly hit, with 30 percent of flights cancelled in cities including Lyon, Marseille, and Montpellier. Air France said it had been 'forced to adapt its flight schedule' without specifying the number of cancellations, but stressed that its long-haul network was not affected. On Friday, the situation is expected to become even more tense at Paris airports and Beauvais, where the DGAC has ordered a 40-percent reduction in the number of flights. On Thursday morning, the Eurocontrol monitoring agency warned airlines of 'significant' delays in the airspace managed by the air traffic control centers in Marseille, Brest and Reims. Some 29,000 commercial flights were scheduled for Thursday in Europe, said Eurocontrol. Business aviation, particularly in Nice and Le Bourget near Paris, has also been significantly affected, sources said.— AFP
NDTV
03-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
French Air Traffic Controllers Strike Hits Europe Summer Travel
French air traffic controllers launched a two-day strike on Thursday to protest at understaffing and "toxic management", disrupting travel for tens of thousands of people in Europe at the start of a busy summer holiday season. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in France, with the strike by two French unions also affecting air traffic across western Europe. Half of flights in Nice, France's third-largest airport, and a quarter of flights at Paris Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle, one of Europe's busiest hubs, have been cancelled. Disruption is expected to worsen on Friday, the eve of the school holidays. "We're trying to stay positive, there are worse things, but it's annoying," Nadia Rivet, a 51-year-old bank employee, told AFP. Rivet was planning to spend six days in the French capital but her flight from the southwestern city of Pau on Thursday morning was cancelled. "Everyone has the right to strike, but it's punitive. Air traffic controllers aren't the worst off," she said, adding she hoped to have more luck on Friday. The DGAC civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cancel some of their flights to ensure there are enough controllers on duty. 'Held To Ransom' Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called union demands "unacceptable" and said carriers would lose "millions of euros" as a result. "Constantly choosing dates that will cause the most inconvenience to passengers does not seem to be the right approach," he said on Thursday. Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, said it cancelled 170 flights, affecting 30,000 passengers. "Once again European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike," said Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. The airline said most disrupted passengers were not flying to or from France but overflying French airspace. "It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays," O'Leary said. He urged European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to take "urgent action" to protect overflights, among other reforms. Industry association Airlines for Europe (A4E), whose members include Ryanair, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways and EasyJet, described the action as "intolerable". The strike involved 270 air traffic controllers from a total workforce of around 1,400, sources said. UNSA-ICNA, the second biggest labour group in the sector, launched the action to demand better working conditions and more staff. 'Striking Is Right' The union is protesting against "chronic understaffing", the planned introduction of a clock-in system, outdated equipment and "toxic management practices that are incompatible with the requirements of calm and safety". It was joined by the third largest union, USAC-CGT. The main air traffic controllers' union, SNCTA, had no plans to join them. Airports in the south were particularly hard hit, with 30 percent of flights cancelled in cities including Lyon and Marseille. Air France said it had been "forced to adapt its flight schedule" without specifying the number of cancellations, but stressed that its long-haul network was not affected. On Friday, the situation is expected to become even more tense at Paris airports and Beauvais, where the DGAC has ordered a 40-percent reduction in the number of flights. Business aviation, particularly in Nice and Le Bourget near Paris, has also been significantly affected, sources said. Some passengers tried to take the disruptions on the chin. "Striking is a right," said Carol Jelic, a 66-year-old Canadian travelling to Stuttgart. "We can't lose that right. But it does inconvenience," she told AFP at Paris CDG airport. Eric Nouen, a 60-year-old travelling to Montpellier from French Guiana, a region of France in South America, said he was not going to complain. "Right now, everyone could go on strike. Everyone has a reason right now."
New Indian Express
03-07-2025
- New Indian Express
French air traffic controllers strike hits Europe summer travel
PARIS: French air traffic controllers launched a two-day strike on Thursday to protest at understaffing and "toxic management", disrupting travel for tens of thousands of people in Europe at the start of a busy summer holiday season. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in France, with the strike by two French unions also affecting air traffic across western Europe. Half of flights in Nice, France's third-largest airport, and a quarter of flights at Paris Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle, one of Europe's busiest hubs, have been cancelled. Disruption is expected to worsen on Friday, the eve of the school holidays. "We're trying to stay positive, there are worse things, but it's annoying," Nadia Rivet, a 51-year-old bank employee, told AFP. Rivet was planning to spend six days in the French capital but her flight from the southwestern city of Pau on Thursday morning was cancelled. "Everyone has the right to strike, but it's punitive. Air traffic controllers aren't the worst off," she said, adding she hoped to have more luck on Friday. The DGAC civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cancel some of their flights to ensure there are enough controllers on duty.
