MORE than half a million (525,000) Irish air passengers had their flights delayed in the first three months of this year, analysis from the world's largest air passenger rights organisation AirHelp shows.
It means about a fifth of the 2.6 million planned trips were disrupted, and the figure was well up on the previous year.
Indeed approximately 30 per cent of all European passengers faced delays over the period, compared to only 17 per cent in 2022.
Ireland West Airport, Cork Airport and Dublin Airport experienced the most flight disruptions in Ireland, according to AirHelp's data, with 34 per cent, 21 per cent and 20 per cent respectively of passengers facing disruption.
Most faced delays under three hours, meaning they were not eligible for financial compensation, but 37,000 had the right to claim and receive financial compensation from their airline, and 24,700 travellers had their trips cancelled altogether.
By contrast, the most punctual airports during the period were Donegal Airport and Kerry County Airport with only 13 per cent of flights disrupted.
The UK ranks highly among countries with the most delayed air travellers, with over 28 per cent of passengers disrupted in the first quarter of 2023.
Other European countries that also didn’t fare well include Turkey and Germany with 32 per cent and 30 per cent of passengers facing disruptions during this period respectively.
Across Europe, nearly 32 million passengers were delayed in the first quarter of 2023 - some 28 per cent of all travellers - which was a significant deterioration compared with the same period last year, when 20 million were disrupted.
Since its founding in 2013, AirHelp has helped travellers enforce compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, as well as in the event of denied boarding. In addition, it takes legal and political action to further strengthen the rights of air passengers worldwide.
AirHelp chief executive Tomasz Pawliszyn said: "It's clear that strikes and technical problems have already had a very negative impact on air traffic this year across Europe.
"The ongoing labour dispute has had a strong impact on the numerous delays, and we expect the situation to worsen as we head towards the summer.
"However, travellers are not helpless. If airline staff go on strike or the airline is otherwise responsible for the delay, they have a right to compensation for a delay of three hours and it is definitely worth having their case reviewed."
