European airline CEOs expect fewer operational disruptions this summer than they experienced in 2022, despite social unrest causing flight delays and cancellations in recent weeks and labor groups announcing more strikes. However, limitations in European airspace due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and industrial action by air traffic controllers, mainly in France, could cause “materially worse” air traffic control disruption than airlines experienced last year. While demand remains strong and passenger numbers could exceed 2019 levels, airports are not as well prepared as they were in 2019. The Eurocontrol Performance Review Commission (PRC) expects 2023 to be a challenging year for European aviation and has called on all stakeholders to take responsibility to avoid a repetition of the situation of summer 2022 when almost every second flight was delayed, and numerous cancellations left frustrated passengers stranded at airports. AE4, a group whose members carried over 610 million passengers in 2022, has reiterated calls to reform the EU261 air passenger rights regulation to allow airlines to recover disruption costs from parties that caused the disruption, including air traffic control.