Airlines cancelled over 140,000 domestic flights in the US alone. Technical failures and crew shortages now cause more cancellations than weather. The statistics reveal which airlines and routes are most affected.
Key Takeaways
- Globally, airlines cancelled 2.5% of flights in 2023, up from 1.8% in 2019.
- US passengers eligible for $1.2 billion compensation from cancellations 2023.
- Technical failures caused 28% of airline cancellations worldwide in 2023.
- In July 2022, Southwest Airlines cancelled 16,700 flights over a four-day period due to a technical meltdown, representing about 32% of its scheduled departures.
- Weather caused 25% of all global flight cancellations in 2023.
Flight cancellations remain a relatively rare but impactful disruption for travelers worldwide, according to recent statistics.
Related reading
01 · Category
International and Global Trends25 stats
01
Globally, airlines cancelled 2.5% of flights in 2023, up from 1.8% in 2019.
02
Europe's flight cancellation rate was 3.1% in summer 2022 post-COVID.
03
IATA reported 1.9 million international cancellations in 2023.
04
Asia-Pacific saw 4.2% cancellation rate in Q4 2023 recovery.
05
LATAM Airlines cancelled 2.8% of international flights in 2023.
06
Emirates had 1.2% international cancellation rate in 2023.
07
Lufthansa Group cancelled 3.5% transatlantic flights in 2022 strikes.
08
Ryanair (Europe) had 2.4% cancellations in 2023 despite 150 million passengers.
09
Air France-KLM international rate 2.1% in 2023.
10
Qantas cancelled 1.8% long-haul in 2023 post-grounding.
11
British Airways 2.7% cancellations summer 2022 IT failure.
12
Singapore Airlines 0.8% international in 2023.
13
Cathay Pacific 3.9% in 2023 early recovery.
14
ANA (Japan) 2.2% international 2023.
15
Global long-haul cancellation rate 1.5% vs. 2.8% short-haul in 2023.
16
Middle East carriers averaged 1.4% international cancellations 2023.
17
Africa saw highest regional rate at 4.5% in 2023.
18
LATAM region 3.2% average international 2023.
19
easyJet (Europe) 2.9% in 2023.
20
Wizz Air 3.7% cancellations 2023 engine issues.
21
Norwegian Air Shuttle 2.5% in 2023.
22
Vueling Airlines 3.0% summer 2023.
23
Volotea 4.1% in peak 2023.
24
Transavia 2.6% international 2023.
25
TAP Air Portugal 3.4% in 2023.
Interpretation
International and Global Trends Interpretation
While airlines globally cancelled more flights in 2023 than in 2019, the experience remained a frustrating game of chance, where you were either an Emirates passenger enjoying a 98.8% success rate or someone booked on a European low-cost carrier praying your plane wasn't the one in twenty that wouldn't arrive.
02 · Category
Passenger Rights and Compensation20 stats
01
US passengers eligible for $1.2 billion compensation from cancellations 2023.
02
EU261 claims paid €700 million for 2022 cancellations.
03
UK passengers received £250 million refunds post-COVID cancellations.
04
DOT fined Southwest $140 million for 2022 cancellations.
05
Average EU compensation €600 per cancelled long-haul flight.
06
US automatic refunds rule led to $800 million payouts 2023.
07
India DGCA mandated compensation up to ₹1 lakh for cancellations.
08
Australia compensation averaged AUD 400 per domestic cancellation 2023.
09
Brazil ANAC paid R$500 million claims 2023.
10
Canada APTA reported CAD 150 million for disruptions.
11
75% of eligible EU passengers claimed compensation successfully 2023.
12
US low-cost carriers paid 60% less compensation per pax than majors.
13
Global insurance claims for cancellations hit $2.5 billion 2023.
14
Ryanair paid €200 million EU261 fines/claims 2023.
15
Delta settled $380 million class action for 2016 IT cancellations.
16
UK CAA enforced £1 million fines for compensation non-payment.
17
Montreal Convention claims averaged $1,200per international cancellation.
18
40% of US passengers unaware of refund rights post-cancellation.
19
EU claims resolution time averaged 45 days in 2023.
20
DOT dashboard shows 85% refund compliance by majors 2023.
Interpretation
Passenger Rights and Compensation Interpretation
Globally, airlines are finally paying out billions in passenger compensation, though with the efficiency of a sigh and the enthusiasm of a toddler handing over a confiscated toy.
03 · Category
Technical and Operational Issues19 stats
01
Technical failures caused 28% of airline cancellations worldwide in 2023.
02
Crew shortages led to 35,000 US cancellations in 2022.
03
IT outages like CrowdStrike 2024 caused 5,000 global cancellations.
04
Engine maintenance issues at Pratt & Whitney grounded 500+ flights daily 2023.
05
Air traffic control staffing shortages caused 12% of EU cancellations 2023.
06
Southwest scheduling meltdown from crew software glitch 2022: 17k cancellations.
07
Aircraft supply chain delays increased cancellations by 15% post-COVID.
08
FAA NOTAM system failure grounded all US flights January 2023: 11,000 cancellations.
09
Ryanair Boeing MAX fleet groundings: 2,000 cancellations 2023.
10
Lufthansa IT failure May 2023: 1,300 cancellations.
11
Delta SkyMiles software outage July 2024: 7,000 cancellations.
12
Maintenance backlogs caused 20% rise in cancellations for US regionals 2023.
13
Fuel system faults led to 1,200 Airbus A320 cancellations Europe 2023.
14
Pilot training deficiencies contributed to 8% of cancellations globally.
15
Gate conflicts and ramp issues: 5% of airport-specific cancellations.
16
De-icing equipment shortages winter 2023: 2,500 EU cancellations.
17
Cabin pressure system failures: 900 incidents leading to cancellations 2023.
18
Navigation aid outages caused 400 cancellations Asia 2023.
19
Baggage system breakdowns: 1,100 flight cuts Europe 2023.
Interpretation
Technical and Operational Issues Interpretation
While pilots, planes, and passengers are all eager to fly, our modern aviation system remains frustratingly tethered to an unruly tangle of technical gremlins, staffing shortfalls, and brittle software that can, and does, ground us all at a moment's notice.
More related reading
04 · Category
US Domestic Flights30 stats
01
In July 2022, Southwest Airlines cancelled 16,700 flights over a four-day period due to a technical meltdown, representing about 32% of its scheduled departures.
02
US airlines cancelled 2.1% of domestic flights in 2023, totaling over 140,000 cancellations.
03
Delta Air Lines had a domestic cancellation rate of 1.8% in December 2022 amid winter storms.
04
American Airlines cancelled 8,000 flights in July 2022 due to crew shortages.
05
In 2023, United Airlines' domestic cancellation rate averaged 2.3% monthly.
06
JetBlue Airways saw 3.2% cancellation rate for domestic flights in January 2023 due to weather.
07
Allegiant Air had the highest domestic cancellation rate at 4.1% in Q3 2022.
08
Frontier Airlines cancelled 2.8% of its 1.2 million domestic flights in 2023.
09
Spirit Airlines experienced 5.6% cancellations for domestic routes in summer 2022.
10
Hawaiian Airlines had a low 0.9% domestic cancellation rate in 2023.
11
In 2022, total US domestic flight cancellations reached 227,000.
12
Alaska Airlines cancelled 1.4% of domestic flights in Q4 2022.
13
US low-cost carriers averaged 3.5% cancellation rate domestically in 2023.
14
Major US airlines cancelled 1.9% of 9.5 million domestic flights in 2023.
15
Southwest's Christmas 2022 meltdown led to 17,000 cancellations.
16
American Airlines' domestic cancellations spiked to 4% in July 2022.
17
Delta's Atlanta hub saw 2,500 cancellations in December 2022.
18
United Airlines cancelled 3,200 flights over New Year's 2022-2023.
19
In 2023 Q1, US domestic cancellations due to weather were 12,500.
20
Legacy carriers' domestic rate was 1.6% vs. 2.9% for LCCs in 2023.
21
SkyWest Airlines (regional) cancelled 4.2% domestic in 2022.
22
Envoy Air had 3.1% domestic cancellations in summer 2023.
23
Republic Airways cancelled 2.7% of its domestic feeder flights in 2023.
24
Mesa Airlines saw 1.9% cancellation rate domestically Q2 2023.
25
PSA Airlines (American Eagle) had 2.4% in 2023 domestic.
26
Piedmont Airlines cancelled 1.8% domestic in 2022 peak summer.
27
ExpressJet (now defunct) had 5.1% cancellations pre-2021.
28
CommutAir (United Express) 2.0% in 2023 Q1.
29
GoJet Airlines 1.7% domestic cancellation rate 2023.
30
Air Wisconsin 3.3% in winter 2022 domestic.
Interpretation
US Domestic Flights Interpretation
If the airline industry's reliability were judged by these numbers, your best bet is to pack a sleeping bag, a sense of humor, and hope you're booked with one of the carriers whose idea of "operational excellence" doesn't mean canceling a third of its flights over a long weekend.
05 · Category
Weather and Environmental Factors21 stats
01
Weather caused 25% of all global flight cancellations in 2023.
02
Winter weather led to 45,000 US cancellations in December 2022-January 2023.
03
Hurricanes caused 12% of cancellations in Atlantic season 2023.
04
Fog accounted for 8% of European cancellations in 2022.
05
Volcanic ash from Iceland eruptions cancelled 1,200 flights in 2023.
06
Thunderstorms caused 15% of US summer cancellations 2023.
07
Snow and ice led to 3.2% cancellation rate in Europe winter 2023.
08
Heatwaves in Europe 2022 caused 5% extra cancellations due to runway limits.
09
Typhoons in Asia cancelled 8,500 flights in 2023.
10
Droughts affected 2% of South American river-based flights 2023.
11
Wildfires in Canada 2023 led to 1,800 flight diversions/cancellations.
12
Monsoons caused 22% of Indian cancellations July-September 2023.
13
Blizzards in US Midwest cancelled 2,100 flights January 2024.
14
Tropical storms in Caribbean 2023: 4,200 cancellations.
15
Low visibility from sandstorms cancelled 900 Middle East flights 2023.
16
Climate change projected to increase weather cancellations by 10% by 2030.
17
18% of global cancellations attributed to adverse weather in 2022.
18
UK fog delayed/cancelled 1,500 flights December 2023.
19
Australian bushfires 2023: 750 cancellations.
20
El Niño effects boosted Pacific storm cancellations by 12% 2023.
21
High winds cancelled 2,500 European flights in Storm Ciarán 2023.
Interpretation
Weather and Environmental Factors Interpretation
While pilots may be masters of the sky, the statistics prove they are still at the mercy of the elements, from the mundane fog to the dramatic volcano, and a changing climate is only tightening its grip on our itineraries.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Flight Cancellation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/flight-cancellation-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Flight Cancellation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/flight-cancellation-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Flight Cancellation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/flight-cancellation-statistics.
Sources & references
76 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level