Source NAV Portugal

Summer 2025 confirmed NAV Portugal’s operational effectiveness in airspace management. During the months of June to September, average en-route delays on flights controlled by NAV Portugal fell to 0.07 minutes per flight, corresponding to a 71% reduction compared to the same period last year, in a context where air traffic grew by 6.5%. In total, 18,300 minutes of delays were recorded on 274,700 controlled flights.

In addition to strong performance en route, this summer also saw a significant reduction in delays at domestic airports, particularly at Humberto Delgado Airport. In Lisbon, where traffic grew by 0.8% in the summer, the minutes of delay attributable to NAV Portugal’s operation fell by 54.8%.

Thus, in terms of overall operations – en-route delays and airport delays – total delays fell by 45.1% compared to the summer of 2024.

The positive trend is also confirmed for the year to date. Between January and September 2025, controlled traffic increased by 5.9%, exceeding 596,000 flights, while average en-route delays fell by 7.7%. Here too, Lisbon stood out, with delays at Humberto Delgado Airport falling by 36.7%. Overall, delays have fallen by 27% since the beginning of the year.

NAV Portugal’s strong performance reflects the investments made in recent years in new systems and operating procedures, as well as the strengthening of its teams, in particular with the hiring of more air traffic controllers and the greater availability of these professionals for operations.

“The significant reduction in delays in NAV Portugal’s operations is a decisive contribution to the sustainability of the aviation sector in Portugal, ensuring more efficient flights with a smaller environmental footprint, even in a context of high demand. None of this would be possible without the commitment and competence of our people, who ensure safe, efficient and sustainable air navigation services every day,” says Pedro Ângelo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of NAV Portugal.

 Thanks to its performance in recent months, NAV Portugal already has an average delay per en-route flight of 0.26 minutes, below the target set in the National Performance Plan (0.30 minutes) approved by the European Commission.