Airline ImPax Report

Global Disruptions Overview

This month’s report analyses the disruption data of 293 airlines totalling 878,370 disrupted flights, across 3,198,781 planned flights, globally.

In July 2025, global aviation was severely disrupted across all regions. Europe faced a crippling French ATC strike and a UK radar failure, grounding thousands of flights. In the U.S., storms, IT failures, and extreme turbulence caused mass delays and injuries. Asia-Pacific contended with typhoons and monsoon-related disruptions, notably in Hong Kong. While Latin America saw no major crises, capacity constraints stressed operations. The Middle East & Africa were hit hardest by conflict-driven airspace closures. Disruptions rose 17.5% globally—far outpacing the 6.5% increase in flight volumes—with cancellations up over 20%, making July one of aviation’s most chaotic months on record.

Asia Pacific

In July 2025, the Asia-Pacific region experienced sharp aviation disruptions despite a 9% increase in flight volumes month-over-month. Disruptions surged by 22%, affecting 4 million more passengers than in June. Typhoon Wipha forced mass cancellations in Hong Kong, grounding flights by Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. In Taiwan, Typhoon Danas killed two and stranded thousands. Monsoon storms across East and Southeast Asia caused thousands of delays, while an Air India 787 aborted takeoff in Delhi due to technical issues.

Europe

In July 2025, European air travel faced severe disruption as flight volumes rose 5%, but delays and cancellations surged 25%, worsening travel conditions across the region. A French ATC strike on July 3–4 disrupted over 3,700 flights per day, grounding key routes. On July 30, a radar system failure at the UK’s NATS Swanwick center shut down UK airspace, causing widespread delays. Ripple effects from staffing shortages and fragmented airspace impacted hubs across France, Spain, Germany, and beyond.

North America

In July 2025, North American air travel saw severe disruption as cancellations jumped 22%, despite only a 4% increase in flight volumes. An Alaska Airlines IT outage grounded over 200 flights, affecting 13,500 passengers. Storm Chantal caused mass delays at major hubs like JFK and O’Hare. A Delta flight from Salt Lake City suffered extreme turbulence, injuring 25, while a United 787 out of Dulles declared a mayday due to engine failure.

Middle East and Africa

Air travel in the Middle East and Africa remained disrupted in July 2025 due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, including airspace closures and suspended routes—particularly to Syria. However, key disruption metrics improved, with over 400,000 fewer affected passengers compared to June. Flight volumes rose 5%, while overall disruptions increased by just 6.5%, driven mainly by short-duration delays under one hour, suggesting a stabilization in operations despite continued regional volatility.

Latin America

In July 2025, Latin America experienced a 10%+ rise in flight disruptions, outpacing a 7.5% increase in flight volumes. Severe storms in Brazil disrupted operations at major hubs like São Paulo, Rio, and Brasília, leading to over 150 cancellations and 110 delays, heavily impacting LATAM, GOL, and Azul. In Argentina, a planned ATC strike on July 11 threatened nationwide delays during peak travel season. Operational strain continued in Brazil as LATAM and Azul navigated restructuring, while Voepass remained suspended under bankruptcy protection, adding pressure to an already stretched regional aviation sector.