Barcelona and Heathrow among airports hit by 932 disrupted flights across Europe

Disruption overview

Europe recorded 932 disrupted flights on 28 April 2026, with Barcelona El Prat Airport hit hardest and London Heathrow Airport, Madrid Barajas Airport, Frankfurt Airport, and Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport also seeing major delays and cancellations. The disruption stretched across Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Sweden, leaving passengers to deal with longer waits, missed connections, and sudden schedule changes.

The problems were driven by several overlapping issues, including the ongoing SAERCO air traffic control strike, Groundforce baggage-handling walk-outs at Spanish airports, Lufthansa's recovery from earlier strike action, and the closure of Santiago de Compostela Airport for runway work. Because the main causes were outside airline control, compensation is usually unlikely under EC 261, but airlines should still provide care and assistance, such as rerouting, refunds, food, and accommodation where needed.

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Disruption details

Air travel across Europe was hit by 932 flight delays and cancellations on 28 April 2026, with Barcelona El Prat Airport recording the highest number of disruptions and London Heathrow Airport also seeing major knock-on delays. For passengers, that meant longer waits, missed connections, and last-minute schedule changes across Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Sweden.

The worst-hit airports were concentrated at some of the region's busiest hubs:

• Barcelona El Prat Airport recorded 173 delays and 2 cancellations.

• Madrid Barajas Airport recorded 153 delays and 3 cancellations.

• London Heathrow Airport recorded 127 delays and 3 cancellations.

• Frankfurt Airport recorded 118 delays, while Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport recorded 116 delays and 1 cancellation.

• Melilla Airport saw 23 cancellations, and Málaga Airport recorded 12 cancellations.

The disruption wasn't limited to the biggest hubs. Munich International Airport, Stockholm Arlanda Airport, and Almería International Airport also reported elevated disruption, adding to a difficult day for passengers moving through European networks.

Several overlapping problems drove the disruption. The SAERCO air traffic control strike entered its 12th day and continued to affect 14 Spanish regional airports, forcing aircraft to reroute around restricted airspace and adding delays at larger Spanish hubs such as Barcelona and Madrid.

Groundforce baggage-handling staff also staged another walk-out at 12 Spanish airports, slowing ramp operations during three time windows: 5:00 am to 7:00 am, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and 10:00 pm to 12:00 am. In northwest Spain, Santiago de Compostela Airport remained fully closed for a five-week runway resurfacing project, with all services canceled until 27 May 2026. That closure further tightened aircraft availability and added more pressure to already stretched schedules.

Germany was also still dealing with the after-effects of earlier strike action. Lufthansa's network was in day 10 of recovery after its nine-day April stoppage, generating 74 delays centered on Frankfurt and Munich.

Among airlines, Vueling recorded the most delays with 81. Regional carrier Mel Air suffered the most cancellations with 40, affecting services from Melilla, Málaga, Madrid, and Almería. Other heavily affected airlines included Lufthansa with 74 delays, Ryanair with 63, British Airways with 58 delays and 1 cancellation, Iberia with 48 delays, and TAP Air Portugal with 42 delays.

Heathrow's disruption also spilled into long-haul travel. Late-running European feeder flights caused secondary delays for United, American, and Cathay Pacific services, showing how problems at short-haul and regional level can quickly spread into wider international schedules. At the time of publication, the disruption was still active and no end date had been agreed for either the SAERCO or Groundforce strikes, raising the risk of further knock-on delays in the days ahead.

Not every disrupted flight had the same cause. Some delays were linked to airline schedule recovery and crew rotation, but the main triggers on 28 April were third-party strikes and airport infrastructure issues outside airline control. Because of that, compensation is usually unlikely under EC 261. Even so, you're still entitled to care and assistance if your journey is badly disrupted. That can include rerouting or a refund, food and refreshments during long waits, and hotel accommodation if you're stranded overnight. Some cases may still be worth checking if an airline's own operational decisions played a role, and AirHelp's free flight checker can help you understand what applies to your flight.

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