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Issue with UK air traffic control system ‘identified and remedied’ but thousands still face major delays after fault – as it happened

National air traffic services say they have fixed the issue that has caused a network-wide failure but significant flights backlog remains

• UK air traffic control hit by network-wide failure
• 28 Aug 2023 Here is a summary of today's developments
• 28 Aug 2023 Flights "are still unfortunately affected”, Transport Secretary reveals
• 28 Aug 2023 Issue with UK air traffic control system ‘identified and remedied’
• 28 Aug 2023 Air traffic controllers inputting flight plans manually, causing significant delays
• 28 Aug 2023 Thousands of passengers face delays as UK air traffic control system hit by technical fault

Issue with UK air traffic control system ‘identified and remedied’

The national air traffic services (Nats) said they have identified and fixed the technical issues that caused a network-wide failure for air traffic control systems this morning.

In a statement on their website, Nats said:

We have identified and remedied the technical issue affecting our flight planning system this morning. We are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible. Our engineers will be carefully monitoring the system’s performance as we return to normal operations. The flight planning issue affected the system’s ability to automatically process flight plans, meaning that flight plans had to be processed manually which cannot be done at the same volume, hence the requirement for traffic flow restrictions. Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing. Please contact your airline for information on how this may affect your flight.

Here is a summary of today's developments

Airline passengers have been warned that flight disruption could persist for days, after a technical meltdown in UK air traffic control left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded or delayed on the summer bank holiday.

The transport secretary, Mark Harper, said that despite the technical issue being resolved “flights are still unfortunately affected”.

A British journalist who faces being stuck in France for up to six days due to the technical issue affecting air traffic control systems said there is uncertainty over who will pay for the extended stay.

The Irish transport minister, Jack Chambers, has warned of a major knock-on effect on flights to and from Ireland as a consequence of the UK air traffic control fault, PA reports.

The BBC presenter Gabby Logan tweeted that she was stuck on a plane on a runway at Budapest airport and passengers had been told they might be waiting for up to 12 hours.

Here is our latest lead on the airline chaos:

Luke McLaughlin, a Guardian Sport sub-editor and writer, described arriving at London City airport to “try his luck” after his flight to Zurich was cancelled.

“I was booked on a Swiss flight from London City to Zurich which was cancelled this afternoon”, he said on Monday. “I was on my way to the airport – but having checked live departures I decided there was no point in carrying on as everything was cancelled.

“Then my aunt informed me they had been rebooked from London City to Geneva tonight, then to Zurich tomorrow morning at 6am. (Swiss had rebooked me on a flight via Lisbon arriving tomorrow night at 22.30, eight hours after the family funeral that I was trying to get to ...)

“I decided to come to the airport and try my luck – having been told by two different staff there was no hope of getting on the flight as it was overbooked, a third very helpful member of staff made a call and sorted it out so am now boarding for Geneva. Whether there will be a hotel room tonight I don’t know before going to Zurich early tomorrow.

“My elderly mum has been stuck at Heathrow for hours and says BA have been completely unhelpful and she is about to give up ... while my sister has been booked on a BA flight by Swiss tomorrow from Heathrow, so fingers crossed for that.

“Not a good day for it to happen with so many of our family trying to get to Zurich and a lot of confusion and frustration among passengers.”

A German couple are considering returning home by train after their flight from London to Stuttgart was cancelled amid chaos in the UK’s air traffic control system.

Myria Mebold, 36, also said that British Airways “didn’t know anything at all” when she and her husband asked about the situation and their flight.

She told PA Media: “We are waiting for any information and checking if we can go back by train or anything, I don’t know. Somehow we have to get back home.”

Asked if BA was helpful, she replied: “No, they didn’t know anything at all. They said the system doesn’t work and they can’t give any information and we have to come back at 6pm and maybe then they can give more information.

“It was a nice day in London but now it is starting to get annoying.”

She said the flight had been delayed to leave the UK after 1am on Tuesday, but planes cannot land at Stuttgart during the night.

Thousands of passengers have been hit by delays and cancellations caused by air traffic control technical problems. But what legal rights do they have?

Under UK law, those affected have legal rights that oblige the airlines to provide support to customers flying from a UK airport, arriving in the country on an EU or UK airline, or arriving at an EU airport on a UK airline.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) website says that in the case of a “significant delay”, the airline must provide a reasonable amount of food and drink, commonly in the form of vouchers, refunds for the cost of calls, and accommodation for passengers stuck overnight and transport to a hotel or their home.

A significant delay is defined as more than two hours for a short-haul flight of under 1,500km (930 miles), more than three hours for medium haul of up to 3,500km, and more than four hours for long-haul flights.

The CAA accepts airlines are sometimes unable to organise such support, so passengers should make their own “reasonable” arrangements and keep receipts to claim money back, but the authority adds that “luxury hotels and alcohol” are unlikely to be paid for.

Airlines are required to pay compensation if flights arrive more than three hours late, but only when it is their fault, meaning the air traffic control problems could fall under the definition of “exceptional circumstances”, meaning the carriers are exempt from paying out.

UK air passengers faced flight delays and cancellations on Monday after the national air traffic service was hit by a technical glitch and restrictions were placed on UK airspace. The glitch was later resolved but it continued to affect departures from and arrivals to UK airports.

Read our full explainer of why flights were disrupted and whether passengers can get refunds:

Flights "are still unfortunately affected”, Transport Secretary reveals

He tweeted that he would “encourage all passengers to read the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s guidance & be aware of their rights when flights are delayed or cancelled”.

Despite @NATS resolving the technical issue behind today’s air traffic control issues, flights are still unfortunately affected. I’d encourage all passengers to read @UK_CAA ’s guidance & be aware of their rights when flights are delayed or cancelled 👇 https://t.co/K4coeXbUCX — Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) August 28, 2023

Rory Dollard, 40, a cricket correspondent for PA Media, said he and other passengers stuck at Bergerac Dordogne Périgord airport have heard “absolutely nothing” about what caused the technical fault, which led to his Ryanair flight not taking off.

He added that he was told it may take up to six days before he and wife, Joanne, 40, and children Emily, 10, and Arthur, eight, can return home to Skipton, North Yorkshire.

He said: “I’ve never been in a situation like this before and because of the language barrier, it’s hard to work out exactly who’s responsible for which part of the cost.

“If you need to find a hotel for the next five/six nights, who’s paying for this? Is it Ryanair? Is it your insurer? Is it somebody else?”

He added that he could miss covering three England matches, while his wife, who is a social worker, could face delays to “important cases”.

Flights will remain “significantly disrupted” for the rest of Monday despite the technical issue with air traffic control being resolved, a spokesperson for Heathrow airport said.

According to PA, they said:

We ask passengers to only travel to the airport if their flight is confirmed as still operating. Teams across Heathrow are working as hard as they can to minimise the knock-on impacts and assist those whose journeys have been affected.

Britain’s track and field stars are among those who have been hit by the significant flight delays after their brilliant performance at the World Athletics Championships.

The team had planned to head home from Budapest after winning 10 medals – their joint-best ever in the event. However, as the squad arrived at Budapest Ferenc Liszt airport to check in they learned they flight back had been cancelled.

It means about half the squad of athletes, coaches and support staff – about 30 people in total – have had to find a hotel for the night and are still unsure when they will get home.

The home secretary, Suella Braverman , said she sympathised with anyone affected by the air traffic control problems, PA reports.

This issue is evolving right now, as we speak. What we do know is that there has been a national outage at national air traffic control and that this has affected UK airspace. It will affect all incoming and outgoing flights and also those aircraft which are in the UK airspace right now. I am very cognisant that this will disrupt people’s travel plans – those who are waiting to arrive in the UK, those waiting to depart, and I do sympathise with any disruption they may be experiencing.

The transport secretary, Mark Harper, said the technical issues affecting UK air traffic control systems have now been resolved, but urged passengers to still contact their airline for specific flight information.

In a tweet, he said:

The technical issue affecting Nats has now been resolved. Aviation minister Charlotte Vere and I are continuing to work with Nats to help them manage affected flights and support passengers. All passengers should still contact their airline for specific flight information.

The technical issue affecting @NATS has now been resolved. Aviation Minister @CharlotteV and I are continuing to work with NATS to help them manage affected flights and support passengers. All passengers should still contact their airline for specific flight information. https://t.co/IWgZJlXl91 — Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) August 28, 2023

Mark Harper , the transport secretary, has said the UK airspace remains open but traffic flow restrictions are in place.

In the tweet, he added:

Nats [national air traffic services] is working at pace to fix this and aviation minister Charlotte Vere and I are doing all we can to support them. In the meantime, passengers should contact their airline for up-to-date flight information.

UK airspace remains open but traffic flow restrictions are in place. @NATS is working at pace to fix this and Aviation Minister @CharlotteV and I are doing all we can to support them. In the meantime, passengers should contact their airline for up to date flight information. https://t.co/RxqPhicsbK — Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) August 28, 2023

Air traffic controllers inputting flight plans manually, causing significant delays

The latest update from national air traffic services (Nats) said controllers are having to input flight plans manually due to a fault with its systems.

It apologised for the disruption caused by the failure, which is causing significant delays at UK airports.

In a statement, Nats said:

This morning’s technical issue is affecting our ability to automatically process flight plans. Until our engineers have resolved this, flight plans are being input manually which means we cannot process them at the same volume, hence we have applied traffic flow restrictions. Our technical experts are looking at all possible solutions to rectify this as quickly as possible. Our priority is ensuring every flight in the UK remains safe and doing everything we can to minimise the impact. Please contact your airline for information on how this may affect your flight. We are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing.

Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh , said news of delays to flights in and out of the UK was “extremely concerning” for passengers.

She said on X:

Extremely concerning for passengers travelling in and out of the UK on one of the busiest days of the year. UK airspace is not closed but significant delays expected thanks to a technical fault. Surprised not to see our Transport Secretary make a statement yet.

Extremely concerning for passengers travelling in and out of the UK on one of the busiest days of the year. UK airspace is not closed but significant delays expected thanks to a technical fault. Surprised not to see our Transport Secretary make a statement yet. https://t.co/yzfcjoV0ma — Louise Haigh (@LouHaigh) August 28, 2023

PA reports that Ryanair and Aer Lingus have cancelled a number of flights out of and returning to Dublin airport as a result of air traffic control issues in the UK.

Services are also understood to be affected at Cork. The Aer Lingus airline said:

Due to a failure of the UK air traffic control flight planning systems, which is outside of Aer Lingus’ control, there are severe restrictions on all flights into the UK and flying over UK airspace today. We would ask you to check the status of your flight before coming to the airport today as delays and cancellations are likely.”

Ryanair said:

Due to another UK ATC failure, Ryanair will be forced to delay/cancel a number of flights to/from the UK today, August 28. All affected passengers will be notified of their options to change flights (free of charge) to another Ryanair flight or receive a full refund. We sincerely apologise for this UK ATC failure which is beyond Ryanair’s control and is affecting all airlines operating to/from the UK.”

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'Significant disruption' as passengers stranded after UK air traffic control fault

The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said the "technical issue" affecting its flight planning system had been "identified and remedied", but travellers continued to face disruption.

News reporter @niamhielynch

Monday 28 August 2023 21:46, UK

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Passengers have been told to expect delays of up to 12 hours after air traffic controllers across the UK experienced a technical fault.

In an updated statement this afternoon, the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said the "technical issue" affecting its flight planning system had been "identified and remedied", but travellers continued to face disruption.

Brits stuck abroad as warnings disruption could last into the week - live updates

"We are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible," NATS said.

"Our engineers will be carefully monitoring the system's performance as we return to normal operations.

"The flight planning issue affected the system's ability to automatically process flight plans, meaning that flight plans had to be processed manually which cannot be done at the same volume, hence the requirement for traffic flow restrictions.

"Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing. Please contact your airline for information on how this may affect your flight."

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NATS did not give an estimate of how long it would take to fix the problem, or what had caused it.

London Gatwick has said it plans to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday following the disruption. However, passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport.

Heathrow Airport has said flights will remain "significantly disrupted" for the rest of Monday despite the technical issue with air traffic control being resolved.

A spokesperson said: "We ask passengers to only travel to the airport if their flight is confirmed as still operating.

"Teams across Heathrow are working as hard as they can to minimise the knock-on impacts and assist those whose journeys have been affected."

Meanwhile, British Airways has told passengers no flights will take off until 6pm on Monday and all check-in desks are closed.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has written on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "despite resolving the technical issue behind today's air traffic control issues, flights are still unfortunately affected".

He added that he would encourage all passengers to read the UK Civil Aviation Authority's guidance and "be aware of their rights when flights are delayed or cancelled".

What have airports said about the disruption?

While NATS has confirmed it has fixed the technical issue with the UK's air traffic control system, airports have warned the disruption it has caused will continue. Here's what some of them have said.

London Luton Airport: "The earlier technical issue with air traffic control systems has now been resolved, however widespread disruption continues across UK airspace."

Manchester Airport: "As a result of the nationwide technical problem experienced by NATS earlier today, there continues to be flight disruption, including delays and cancellations."

Newcastle International Airport: "We understand that the technical issue with National Air Traffic Services is now resolved, but it will take some time for operations to get back to normal."

London Stansted Airport: "As a result of the nationwide technical problem experienced by NATS earlier today, there continues to be flight disruption, including delays and cancellations."

Heathrow Airport: "The technical issue which limited UK air traffic earlier today has been fixed by NATS. However, schedules will remain significantly disrupted for the rest of the day. We ask passengers to only travel to the airport if their flight is confirmed as still operating. Teams across Heathrow are working as hard as they can to minimise the knock-on impacts and assist those whose journeys have been affected."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has sympathised with anyone impacted by the air traffic control problems.

"This issue is evolving right now, as we speak," she told broadcasters on Monday afternoon.

"What we do know is that there has been a national outage at national air traffic control and that this has affected UK air space.

"It will affect all incoming and outgoing flights and also those aircraft which are in the UK air space right now.

"I am very cognisant that this will disrupt people's travel plans - those who are waiting to arrive in the UK, those waiting to depart, and I do sympathise with any disruption they may be experiencing."

European air traffic authority Eurocontrol and Irish air traffic controllers AirNav Ireland both warned of significant delays across Europe after the fault was first announced.

The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to hold an urgent COBRA meeting, while the Labour 's shadow transport secretary said the fault was "extremely concerning".

Some 3,049 flights were due to depart from UK airports today and another 3,054 flights were scheduled to arrive - with around one million passengers on board.

Travellers have been told to expect severe delays of up to 12 hours.

BBC presenter Gabby Logan said she had been caught up by the issue.

She posted on X, formerly known as Twitter : "On a plane on the runway at Budapest airport. After almost three weeks away from home I am hours from hugging my family.

"And have just been told UK airspace is shut. We could be here for 12 hours. So we sit on the plane and wait."

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Sky's science correspondent Thomas Moore is one of the passengers stuck on a British Airways flight at Heathrow after flying back from San Francisco overnight.

Speaking from the plane, he said the aircraft actually landed ahead of the schedule - but since then they have been stuck on the tarmac.

"The pilots told us that we are in a queue for a gate because all the aircraft giving priority to land can't get away, so everything is stacking up now," he said.

"We have an update saying that they're trying to find space for all the aircraft that are coming in and having to wait, having to queue, because this is going to have a big impact.

"There are planes taking off, but what we are being told is that various aspects of computerised systems used by air traffic control aren't talking to each to other, so everything is having to be done manually.

"That means things are taking a lot longer than they would be.

"Normally this would be one of the busiest runways in the world, but it is looking very, very quiet."

Sky News producer Georgia Ziebart was stuck on a plane in Palma, Majorca for three hours before being moved off the aircraft and back into terminal.

She said passengers have been told all planes that were in the air at the time the systems went down have been diverted to other countries.

Speaking while still on the plane, which is set for London Gatwick, she said: "We're on the tarmac in Palma, Majorca - we got on the plane an hour ago and shortly after we got on the plane, the pilot made an announcement to say it doesn't look like we'll be leaving for a while because there are issues with air traffic control across the whole of the UK.

"We've been sat on the plane now for about an hour, still haven't moved, still haven't had much information. But staff just said there's no point in us moving because we can't actually go anywhere.

"There are people who have been sleeping at the airport since yesterday so it's completely at capacity inside as well.

"There's a lot of children on board here, a lot of babies. It's a three-hour flight. I haven't got any food. They've come around and offered water to everyone but that's it at the moment."

Ryanair and Aer Lingus were the first airlines to confirm several flight cancellations to and from Dublin and Cork airports.

The Eurostar said it would add an extra train from Paris to London at 8.43pm this evening after the airline disruption.

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Wizz Air named as worst airline for flight delays – check the full list

Emerald airlines recorded the best performance last year with an average delay of just 13 minutes and six seconds, article bookmarked.

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The worst airlines for UK flight delays have been revealed in a major new study.

The analysis took into account all scheduled and chartered departures from UK airports by airlines operating more than 2,500 flights. Cancelled flights were not included.

The average delay for all these flights was 20 minutes and 42 seconds, down from 23 minutes in 2022.

Wizz Air was ranked the worst airline, despite a surge in fares.

The low-cost carrier’s departures from UK airports were an average of 31 minutes and 36 seconds behind schedule in 2023, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the PA news agency.

This was a reduction of nearly a third compared with 2022, but means the airline recorded the worst punctuality for UK flights for three consecutive years.

Wizz Air said it has made “significant improvements” but acknowledged there is “still work to be done”.

Turkish Airlines recorded the second worst punctuality last year, with an average delay of 28 minutes and 36 seconds.

This was followed by Tui (28 minutes and 24 seconds), Air India (28 minutes and 12 seconds) and Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines (25 minutes and six seconds).

The full ranking of airlines based on UK flight punctuality in 2023

Airlines are ordered from the longest average delay per departing flight to the shortest (duration in brackets)..

1. Wizz Air (31 minutes and 36 seconds)

2. Turkish Airlines (28 minutes and 36 seconds)

3. Tui (28 minutes and 24 seconds)

4. Air India (28 minutes and 12 seconds)

5. Pegasus Airlines (25 minutes and six seconds)

6. Air Portugal (23 minutes and 48 seconds)

7. Vueling Airlines (23 minutes and six seconds)

8. Swiss Airlines (22 minutes and 48 seconds)

9. Air Canada (22 minutes and six seconds)

10. British Airways (21 minutes and 36 seconds)

11. EasyJet (21 minutes and 30 seconds)

12. Aurigny Air Services (20 minutes and 48 seconds)

13. Stobart Air (20 minutes and 42 seconds)

14. Ryanair (19 minutes and 54 seconds)

15. Loganair (19 minutes and six seconds)

16. American Airlines (18 minutes and 48 seconds)

17. Eastern Airways (18 minutes and 42 seconds)

18. Air France (18 minutes and 36 seconds)

=19. Emirates (18 minutes and 30 seconds)

=19. Lufthansa (18 minutes and 30 seconds)

21. Eurowings (17 minutes and 54 seconds)

=22. Jet2.com (17 minutes and 48 seconds)

=22. Norwegian Air (17 minutes and 48 seconds)

24. Aer Lingus (17 minutes and 24 seconds)

25. Qatar (16 minutes and 24 seconds)

26. KLM (15 minutes and 54 seconds)

27. United Airlines (15 minutes and 36 seconds)

28. Blue Islands (15 minutes and six seconds)

29. Delta Airlines (15 minutes)

30. Iberia (14 minutes and 24 seconds)

31. SAS (14 minutes)

32. Virgin Atlantic (13 minutes and 42 seconds)

33. Emerald Airlines (13 minutes and six seconds)

Consumer group Which? said airline passengers are in the “outrageous position” of paying record air fares for “unreliable services”.

Irish carrier Emerald Airlines recorded the best performance last year with an average delay of just 13 minutes and six seconds, with Virgin Atlantic in second place (13 minutes and 42 seconds).

Wizz Air’s UK operations serve Aberdeen, Birmingham, Gatwick, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Luton airports.

Despite its poor UK punctuality, the airline – which operates in Europe, north Africa, the Middle East and other parts of Asia – saw passenger numbers reach a record 62.0 million in the year to the end of March, up by more than a fifth on the total of 51.1 million in the previous 12 months.

Over the same period, Wizz Air recorded a pre-tax profit of 341.1 million euros (£290.4 million), as its revenue from ticket sales per available seat rose by 11.2% year-on-year, which was similar to fare rises across the airline sector.

Aviation consultant John Strickland said Wizz Air had “many unhappy customers” – particularly in 2022 – as it struggled with punctuality due to being “over ambitious” in terms of how many flights it could operate reliably after coronavirus travel restrictions eased.

He said the airline has “put a lot of effort in” to improve through measures such as replanning rosters and having more standby aircraft available, but “the fruits of that will not be seen immediately”.

Asked why it has been able to boost passenger numbers despite suffering delays, Mr Strickland cited factors such as being “price competitive” and having the most capacity on many routes serving central and eastern Europe.

Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: “These latest delay figures will come as no surprise to travellers, who find themselves in the outrageous position of paying record amounts for air fares and in return receiving unreliable services.

“Wizz Air recently took the bottom spot in our annual airline satisfaction survey and it’s clear its passengers are still having a torrid time.

“It’s time for airlines to get their act together and start delivering the service their customers are paying for – including ensuring they’re investing properly in their customer service teams.

“When delays and cancellations do occur, there can be no justification for airlines failing to meet their legal obligations – including promptly refunding or rerouting customers, and ensuring they are offered meals and accommodation as required.”

Wizz Air was ranked the worst airline for passenger satisfaction in an annual report by Which? published in February, with survey respondents awarding it an average of one star out of a possible five for customer service and seat comfort.

A Wizz Air spokeswoman said: “In 2022, like all airlines in Europe, Wizz Air experienced extraordinary operating challenges driven mostly by the external environment.

“Since then, we have invested more than £90 million to stabilise operations, reduce the number of delays and provide a better experience for customers.

“While we saw significant improvements in 2023, there was still work to be done.

“Helping our customers reach their destination is our number one priority and we will continue to invest in our service to ensure they get there on time.”

She added that the airline’s current performance is “among the strongest in the entire industry”, with a punctuality record that is “the highest among our direct competitors” and “the best flight completion rate in the whole of Europe”.

In January, the CAA said its enforcement action against Wizz Air led to the airline paying a total of £1.2 million to UK-based passengers whose financial claims were reassessed after initially being rejected.

This included payments of money owed for expenses such as replacement flights, food and hotel rooms during disruption.

Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK, a body representing airlines operating in the UK, described 2023 as “an extremely challenging year, particularly over the summer”.

He said many delays were caused by factors outside of airlines’ control, such as air traffic control disruption including strikes in France and the National Air Traffic Services meltdown on August 28 which grounded flights across UK airports.

He added that airlines are confident their operations are “in a pretty good place” and punctuality has “continued to exponentially improve” this year.

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Aer Lingus Regional to launch Bristol to Cork flights

Emerald Airlines (EA/EAI) is to launch a new service from Bristol Airport (BRS/EGGD) to Cork (ORK/EICK) under the Aer Lingus Regional brand. The six-times-per-week service will commence on the 28th of April and will complement the airline’s daily service from Bristol to Dublin. Ciarán Smith, Head of Commerical at Emerald [read more]

Norse Atlantic adds four new US destinations from London Gatwick

Low-cost long-haul carrier Norse Atlantic Airways (N0/NBT) has announced four new US destinations from London Gatwick (LGW/EGKK) for 2023. The first to launch is Washington DC which launches on the 1st June and operates up to six times per week during the summer with return fares from £430. A daily [read more]

Eastern Airways to launch Southampton to Belfast route

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Ryanair (FR/RYR) is set to return to the Austrian alps gateway airport in Klagenfurt (KLU/LOWK) after agreeing a deal that will see the airline return from two UK airports. From 1st November 2022, Ryanair will launch a twice-weekly service to Austria’s six-largest city from London Stansted (STN/EGSS) followed by a [read more]

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Australian national carrier Qantas (QF/QFA) has set out its future Airbus fleet plans that include the Airbus A350 which will form the backbone of the airline’s Project Sunrise, a project that will see any worldwide city just one flight away from Australia. At a ceremony in Sydney, the airline announced [read more]

Ryanair opens Summer base at Newcastle

Irish budget airline Ryanair (FR/RYR) has opened its two aircraft summer base at Newcastle Airport (NCL/EGNT) bringing 10 new routes and 60 directly-employed jobs to the North-East. The new base will see Ryanair fly a total of 19 routes from Newcastle and up to 130 flights per week. New routes [read more]

Kuwait Airways to launch flights to Manchester

Kuwait Airways has confirmed it is launching flights from Kuwait International to Manchester (MAN/EGCC) from 1st May 2022. The gulf airline already serves London Heathrow (LHR/EGLL) but will now add its second destination in the UK. Kuwait Airways chief executive Maen Razouqi said: “Kuwait Airways is proceeding, according to well-thought-out [read more]

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23 best air fryers for quick, healthier dinners

These mini super ovens make moist chicken, delicious pasta dishes and even light and fluffy cakes

In fact, this increasingly popular appliance can cook everything from chicken to cupcakes (and much, much more) in a few simple steps, making it a great multi-purpose gadget to have in the kitchen. If you want to know just how versatile they are, we suggest checking out our cooking team's favourite air fryer recipes .

Interested? Well, the Good Housekeeping Institute has tested the leading models to find the best air fryers to buy now:

Best air fryers 2024

Joint best air fryer and best dual basket air fryer

Ninja foodi max dual zone 9.5l af400uk.

Joint best air fryer and best steam air fryer

Breville halo steam air fryer.

Joint best air fryer and best single basket air fryer

Haier i-master series 5 multi air fryer.

Instant VersaZone Dual Air Fryer

Salter EK5728 Fuzion Dual Air Fryer

Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer 8-in-1 Air Fryer

Best air fryer for removing grease

Cosori dual zone air fryer.

Best value air fryer

Russell hobbs satisfry air & grill multi cooker 26520.

Best value Ninja air fryer

Ninja 3.8l air fryer and dehydrator af100uk.

Dualit 5.5L Air Fryer

If you’re replacing an existing air fryer, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point , or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.

How do air fryers work?

In a nutshell, air fryers use an alternative cooking method to deep frying. Rather than submerging food in oil, air fryers use very little – in our tests we used one tablespoon of oil as standard – to bake food quickly.

They work by blasting hot air around the basket or oven instead, producing crispy and fluffy chips or moist chicken that’s healthier than if the food had been coated in oil.

Are air fryers energy efficient?

You may have read that an air fryer can save you money on your electricity bills. They certainly are time and energy efficient; the cheapest when roasting a small chicken on test was the Tower T17100 Vortx Vizion Dual Basket Air Fryer , which used just 17p of electricity over 30 minutes of cooking time.

However, if you need to use an air fryer multiple times to make enough food to feed your household, you’re probably better off cooking everything in one go in the oven. Not to mention, most air fryers are an expensive initial investment, which means it will take a while for savings on your energy bill to cancel out their cost.

How to choose the best air fryer

Not all air fryers are created equal – there are a few different designs to choose between.

Basket-style air fryers have one or two drawers where you place your food for cooking. Those with two drawers are particularly handy if you want to cook different foods at the same time, but they can take up a lot more room in the kitchen than their more compact counterparts.

There are also oven-style air fryers that often come with rotisserie accessories, so you can roast a full chicken for example. Again, these tend to be fairly weighty appliances.

Some on our list, such as the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer , are actually multi-cookers , giving you multiple appliances in one, including a slow cooker or dehydrator as well as an air fryer. We’ve also included one machine that doubles as a health grill.

Lastly, it’s worth thinking about clean-up – most of the products on our list have dishwasher-proof baskets and air fryer accessories , while the two oven air fryers we’ve featured have removable doors to help you keep your machine as clean as possible.

What size air fryer do I need?

There’s no set rule on how many people each air fryer will serve – it all depends on what you’re cooking and, of course, how hungry you are! But, if you’re planning to use it to cook an entire meal, for example, you’ll probably need a larger capacity to prepare your main and a side at the same time.

As a rough guide, a one- to two-litre model like the Lakeland Digital Compact Air Fryer should be sufficient for one or two people, while a medium-sized model like Salter’s 4.5 Litre Digital Air Fryer should feed three to four.

If you’re catering for more, then look for a model with a larger capacity of around six litres, like our winning air fryer from Ninja – this sizeable model has two baskets for cooking plenty of portions.

The largest air fryer on our list has a 20-litre capacity, which is enough for five to six main portions or an entire three-kilogram roast chicken with room to spare.

It’s also worth noting that if you need to run your air fryer more than once for dinner, it’s probably more cost effective to cook with your oven.

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How we test air fryers

The experts at the GHI cook up a small feast to find the best air fryers. Depending on the capacity and type of fryer, they either roast a whole chicken or cook chicken Kyivs, monitoring how long it takes for the chicken to reach 75C. Then they judge (and try!) the results, looking for crispy, golden skin and moist meat.

Chips are next – they look for quickly cooked, well-browned and crunchy skins that house fluffy interiors. Finally, they make fairy cakes, to judge how well the appliance can bake and how evenly air circulates – the better baked and fluffier the cakes, the more efficient the air flow.

Each air fryer is then scored overall according to its performance, ease of use, design, instructions and accompanying information. See our top-rated picks below.

Score: 95/100

Barely dropping a point on test, this air fryer will feed a crowd quickly, and feed them well. Our fairy cakes were evenly baked and ready to enjoy in a speedy 15 minutes, while it scored perfect marks for chicken Kyivs – they were crispy on the outside yet juicy in the middle after 25 minutes. Our chips were fluffy, too.

It's a fairly hefty appliance, so if your kitchen is compact it may not be for you, but you can fill its two drawers with different foods and sync the programmes so everything is ready to eat at the same time – a process we found intuitive on test. A great family fryer.

Key specifications

Tying for the winning spot, this Breville machine combines air and steam frying to achieve healthier meals and a range of textures. Our experts tested its steam frying capabilities by popping in a whole chicken and cooking for an hour at 170C. The result? Well-cooked, nicely browned and great-tasting meat.

When air frying, all our chips had a golden, even colour with a perfectly crisp exterior and our cupcakes were a baking triumph too, emerging nicely risen in just 12 minutes.

We would have liked a viewing window to check on our dinner as it cooked and the water tank was slightly awkward to empty. But that’s nitpicking – this is a reliable, efficient buy.

Just like our other winners, this Haier air fryer delivered consistently crispy results across the board, making it a great choice for delicious fried feasts without all that oil.

It earned a perfect score for producing golden, flavourful chicken with a beautifully crisp exterior. It also baked light and fluffy cupcakes within 20 minutes. In some cases, the food needed a few extra minutes in the fryer to be perfectly cooked, but that’s just a case of trial and error.

One handy feature with this air fryer is that it reminds you to shake your food mid-cooking. Our testers found this particularly helpful for ensuring even cooking and consistent crispiness. While it isn’t quite as big as the Ninja, its 7 litre capacity should still comfortably serve up enough portions for a delicious family dinner.

Score: 94/100

This latest model from Instant was impressive on all fronts in our tests – it turned a 1.3kg whole chicken into a golden, moist and tender feast, while cupcakes came out beautifully cooked and fluffy.

What makes it unique from Instant’s other models is that it can be switched between two independent 4.25L cooking baskets to one XXL 8.5L basket simply by removing the divider. While each basket has separate controls, they can be paired with the SyncFinish function so all your food will be ready at the same time.

Our chips came out well cooked but – and we’re being picky here – about 20% lacked that golden brown shade we were looking for. The only other thing to note was that the wells in the bottom plate created an uneven surface, which led to some misshapen cupcakes, but those are minor issues.

In almost every other sense, this air fryer is an excellent buy. Our testers loved the handy alert that reminds you to turn your food at crucial cooking points and were pleased with how easy it is to use, programme, and clean (it’s dishwasher-safe).

Just like the Instant model above, this Salter air fryer has an adjustable dual basket design for added versatility – you can either cook different foods in each of the two 4L compartments or remove the divider to create one 8L basket. It also has eight pre-set cooking functions, so you’ll never be stuck in the kitchen.

It scored almost perfect marks across the board in our tests, delivering light, crispy chips and succulent chicken, which you can programme to be ready at the same time using the handy sync function. However, it really impressed when baking cupcakes – a task many air fryers struggle with. They came out beautifully golden and risen. Even Mary Berry would find it hard to compete.

It doesn’t have a child-lock and the components aren’t dishwasher-friendly (although they’re easy to wipe clean). But those minor quibbles aside, it’s easy to use and comes with detailed instructions (both physical and via a QR code that takes you to video tutorials). A smart buy for busy bakers.

While a predecessor to the VersaZone, this one is no less impressive. You can’t combine the two drawers, but you can sync them to prepare multiple dishes at once, with a total capacity of 7.6L, which is plenty of space for cooking for a family of four.

The results didn’t disappoint either, with a particularly succulent roast chicken. Our chips were fluffy too, but crisped up best when distributed across two drawers, rather than cramming lots into one. Turning them a few times helped as well.

The lack of cooking charts means some guesswork is required to begin with, but you can scan a QR code in the booklet to access lots of recipes online (albeit not very traditional ones).

Handy windows also mean you can easily check ion how your food is doing. Plus, the effective non-stick design made washing up a breeze, which is always a bonus in our book.

Score: 92/100

The roast setting on this air fryer produced beautifully moist chicken thighs as well as that all-important crispy exterior – helped by a baking plate that drained away an impressive amount of fat and grease. But, this machine really impressed when it came to chips. They emerged perfectly cooked; even the smallest portion didn’t burn – a common air fryer pitfall. Finally, it nailed our dessert course too, with well-risen, fluffy cupcakes.

If there's a downside, it would be with the size – the dual basket design means you can’t fit an entire roast chicken inside. However, the option to sync the drawers is handy if you’re cooking for a large group. And this easy-to-use, efficient air fryer has one final party trick: you can switch the internal lights on to check out your food through the viewing window whenever you want to take a peep.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Air & Grill Multi Cooker 26520

Score: 91/100

Not just an air fryer, this multi-cooker also grills, sears, roasts, bakes and slow cooks, making it a smart choice if you’re after a space-saving do-it-all appliance.

It claims to air fry up to 70% quicker than earlier Russell Hobbs models; this wasn’t tested, but it did cook our chicken to succulent, golden perfection in a faster-than-most 30 minutes (simply press the chicken icon on the casing and it presets the optimal temperature and cooking time.)

Simple and modern in design, it couldn’t be easier to set up and use. The buttons are responsive, it’s compact for storage in smaller kitchens and it’s lightweight enough to move around. It scored a perfect ten in our chips and chicken tests, only dropping a few marks for its patchy cupcakes (not all rose well and some came out paler than others) and fiddly iron basket, which proved tricky to remove while wearing oven gloves.

At over £100 less than our winning Ninja , this is a more affordable offering from the premium kitchen appliance brand. It also proved its worth on test, with perfectly chicken kievs inside and out. Chips were scrumptious too, but we recommend cooking them in smaller batches for best results.

The compact design is ideal for cooking for one or two people. It also has a clear display, is stable in use and lightweight if you’re storing it in a cupboard. But unlike most fryers, the basket doesn’t have a proper handle, which means oven gloves are needed when removing it.

There are also plenty of recipes and food charts included, so you can cook up a storm as soon as you set it up.

Score: 89/100

The medium-sized chicken we cooked in this air fryer was practically faultless; its crispy skin browned evenly, and the meat itself was juicy. In fact, you’re in for a real feast with this easy-to-use appliance. Chips were light and fluffy and vegetable kebabs were crisp yet still moist. Even cupcakes baked well, despite losing some marks for uneven colouring.

There are seven pre-sets to help you on your way to air-fryer mastery along with a detailed instruction manual. Testers loved how simple it was to adjust the temperature and timer, but the lack of a viewing window meant they couldn’t check-in on food without opening the drawer – plus there’s no reminder to shake or turn your dishes, so you’ll need to pay attention when cooking.

But, it’s a good choice for medium-sized households that are after delicious air-fried food without much fuss.

Daewoo 11L 1700W Space Saving Split Drawer Air Fryer

If you don’t have much space on your counter but still want a large capacity air fryer, then this cleverly designed model may do the trick. It has two baskets that can sync to finish cooking at the same time, but instead of sitting side by side, the five-litre oven section and six-litre drawer are stacked vertically to save space.

Our chicken Kyivs cooked beautifully and two small frozen pizzas came out nicely crisped after 20 minutes in the bottom section. Chips had a slightly uneven colouring, but this didn’t affect their taste and testers loved the bagel function, which rivalled some of the best toasters.

Note, the accessories aren’t dishwasher safe and there’s no child lock, so it might not be right for young families. But for small kitchens with big cooking dreams, it’s a savvy buy.

Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker & Air Fryer

Score: 88/100

Ninja’s new 10-mode multi-cooker stands out for its innovative “Speedi Meals” function, which allows you to cook your grain of choice at the same time as meat and vegetables, thus quickly preparing a full meal for up to four people at once.

Impressively, every part of our trial meals cooked correctly and retained their flavour, with both chicken and salmon turning out moist and tender. It also cooked chips in a respectable 22 minutes (two minutes faster than the promised 24) and delivered fluffy fairy cakes.

The lid is hinged, rather than removable, which our tester found slightly awkward to use, and may make under-cupboard storage tricky. However, the control interface is intuitive, the troubleshooting advice is clear and it comes with a recipe booklet packed with tasty inspiration for each setting.

COSORI Smart Wifi Air Fryer

This smart fryer has ample room to prepare a family dinner and boasts a whopping 13 cooking modes, including steak, seafood and frozen food.

It took a while to roast a chicken but, 45 minutes later, it came out golden and moist, while our fairy cakes were just right. When cooking chips, it dropped just half a mark – they were exceptionally evenly cooked.

We like how it comes with an extensive recipe book and detailed instructions too, while its accompanying app lets you control the machine remotely for helpful flexibility.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer

As well as air frying, this machine works as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, sauté pan, steamer, sous vide and food warmer with extra settings for roasting, broiling, baking and dehydrating!

On test, it delivered delicious chips and scored perfect marks for its fairy cakes, although we were unable to bulk bake as we could only fit five in at a time.

As a result of its multi-purpose design, it wasn’t the most intuitive model we tested for air frying, but its online instructions should help you get set up quickly.

The capacity of its air frying basket was also fairly small – we managed to cook two chicken Kyivs and three portions of chips. One side of our chicken stuck to it, too. That said, this is worth investing in if you’re only looking to cook for one or two and need a multi-tasking machine to save on storage space.

Lakeland Digital Compact Air Fryer

Score: 87/100

Tight on cupboard space? This slim air fryer should slot in nicely. We were able to cook two chicken Kyivs in it at once and the end results were crispy, while our chips were well-browned. Our fairy cakes cooked evenly, too.

The digital display didn’t always respond well to our touch and we’d have liked an indicator light to show the fryer was heated and ready to cook. As a basic air fryer, though, it did a reliable job at producing tasty food.

Salter EK4750BLK Dual Air Fryer

Does the world of air fryers seem daunting? Well, this dual-basket machine comes with clear instructions and food charts, which make getting started simple. The display is easy to follow and setting up each drawer is straightforward. It’s also one of the more compact dual air fryers we tested, making it suitable for smaller kitchens.

Heat distribution was mixed though; food positioned in the front half of each drawer cooked better than that at the back. Luckily, this didn’t impact the finished dishes too much – our chicken was juicy and our chips were the perfect texture inside, if a little unevenly browned.

Some cupcakes were undercooked, but this shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for an otherwise beginner-friendly machine.

Morphy Richards Health Fryer 480003

Boasting a three-litre basket, this air fryer has ample room if you’re cooking for the family. It barely dropped any points in our chips and cupcake tests, with both emerging evenly cooked thanks to outstanding air circulation. And while the chicken Kyivs lost some moisture from the middle, they were crisp.

The outside of the appliance stayed cool during cooking and, overall, it was easy to use thanks to clear instructions and recipes. Coming with a two-year guarantee, this is a great value buy.

Sharp 5.5L Air Fryer With Digital Control Panel

Score: 86/100

With its simple-to-use design, this is a great beginner-friendly buy. Its eight pre-set functions are easy to program and cooked chicken Kyivs and chips effectively. It’s not big enough for an entire chicken, though.

Despite there being no dessert pre-sets, it excelled when baking cupcakes – they were golden-brown, well-risen, and crisp on the outside with a beautifully fluffy centre.

The countdown timer is on the top of the appliance rather than the front, which makes it harder to check progress at a glance. And it plays a tune when switching on, starting and resuming, which could get tiresome. Otherwise, our experts found it a good addition to the kitchen.

Salter 4.5 Litre Digital Air Fryer EK4221

This nifty little air fryer is a great affordable choice. Its controls are clear and responsive, the machine is stable in use, and it’s effortless to clean thanks to a trusty non-stick coating. The cooking performance also impressed, with our chicken, chips and cupcakes hard to fault.

Despite its one-basket design, you can cook multiple meal components at once thanks to the “ Group-Fry” function. It took some trial and error to get this right on test, but eventually we figured out the perfect size to chop our vegetables so they stayed moist while the steak finished cooking.

This air fryer is a good alternative if you’re cooking for one or two, or don’t have room for a dual-drawer model.

Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows , and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.

Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist , working for Stylist , Sky Sports and more.

Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.

Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s homes writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market.  When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her cooking, running and exploring London’s foodie hotspots – or trying to make friends with every dog she passes.  Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall and on X @megan_geall

Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.   

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• International travel, immigration and repatriation during COVID-19

All UK travel corridors temporarily suspended to protect against new international variants

Emergency border measures introduced to prevent the spread of new variants of coronavirus into the UK.

• emergency measures introduced at the border to be in place for at least one month in order to protect the UK against new variants
• all international arrivals to the UK from any country (including British and Irish Nationals) must now take a pre-departure test and self-isolate for 10 days
• passengers must continue to fill in a Passenger Locator Form and have a negative test before travelling to the UK or could face a £500 fine for each

The government has today (15 January 2021) announced emergency border measures to prevent the spread of concerning new variants of coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) into the UK, such as those first identified in Brazil and South America, and to protect us against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains.

From Monday 18 January at 4am, all travel corridors with the UK will be suspended – meaning that all international arrivals who have departed from or transited through any country outside the Common Travel Area in the previous 10 days will be required to both take a pre-departure test, and self-isolate immediately for 10 days on arrival. This includes British and Irish nationals.

This urgent action is in response to increasing concern over the transmissibility and virulence of new strains evolving internationally. It will also ensure that the government is able to protect the progress being made on the country’s vaccination programme.

This move will be supported by increased enforcement, both at the border and across the UK, with Border Force increasing the number of spot checks on passengers that have entered the country.

International travel corridors have been in place since July 2020 for countries and territories where critical analysis suggests the risk of COVID-19 can be mitigated.

However, the level of risk associated with the emergence of new variants globally has now increased, requiring more stringent measures to block all potential avenues through which new strains of the virus could enter the UK while we consider how best to respond.

The new measures will be reviewed on Monday 15 February - while further work takes place to manage the threat posed by coronavirus variants.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

We are operating in a completely new environment in our fight against COVID-19 , with several worrying new strains of the virus emerging across the globe. Now more than ever, as we make strides vaccinating people up and down the country, we need to take advantage of all measures available to us – and these robust emergency precautions will help us protect the nation to ensure we continue to make progress.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic - the government is moving quickly in response to the latest scientific evidence, and we will continue to take swift action in banning travel from countries where new strains are formally identified, as we have done previously.

These measures are the right course of action now, to safeguard public health and prevent new strains of the virus from worsening the existing picture within the UK.

National restrictions for England introduced on 6 January 2021 remain in place, meaning that everyone must stay at home unless travelling for a very limited set of reasons.

The closure of all the UK travel corridors will ensure that for those returning from trips that fall into this limited set of exemptions, and for passengers arriving to the UK from abroad, there is a clear and robust set of measures to prevent cases of coronavirus entering the country.

Those in breach of the lockdown rules face penalties starting at £200, rising to a maximum of £6,400.

A number of exemptions to the travel corridor policy - including the need to travel for business - will be suspended from 4am on Monday 18th January, unless they are vital to maintaining the flow of critical goods, protecting essential services, protecting national security or facilitating government work.

See the full list of exemptions.

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However, they will still need to adhere to national restrictions in place upon release from self-isolation.

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Europe’s air quality status 2024, key messages.

• Despite ongoing overall improvements in air quality, current EU standards are still not met across Europe.   
• 96% of the EU’s urban population is exposed to unsafe concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ).
• The new EU air quality standards introduced in the revised ambient air quality directive — proposed to come into force in 2030 — are more ambitious than the current ones.

This briefing is one in a series to be published by the EEA as part of the Air quality in Europe 2024 package.

It assesses concentrations of air pollutants in ambient air across Europe, comparing them against current EU standards and the 2021 WHO global air quality guidelines . The EU standards were set out in the 2004 and 2008 ambient air quality directives .

Under the European Green Deal (EGD)’s zero pollution action plan , the European Commission set the interim 2030 goal of reducing the number of premature deaths caused by fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 , a key air pollutant) by at least 55% compared with 2005 levels. The ultimate objective is for air pollution to have no significant impact on health by 2050. To this end, the Commission published a proposal to review the ambient air quality directives in 2022. Among other things, it aimed to align the air quality standards more closely with WHO recommendations.

Co-legislators agreed to more ambitious EU air quality standards in February 2024. However, they are still less strict for all pollutants than what the WHO outlines in their air quality guideline levels .

In 2022, despite ongoing reductions in emissions , most of the EU’s urban population continued to be exposed to levels of key air pollutants that are damaging to health (see Figure 1). In particular, almost all of the urban population was exposed to concentrations of PM 2.5 above the 2021 WHO annual guideline level of 5µg/m 3 and to concentrations of ozone (O 3 ) above the short-term guideline level of 100µg/m 3 .

Figure 1. Share of the EU urban population exposed to air pollutant concentrations above certain EU standards and WHO guidelines in 2022

Notes : Exposure above EU standards: the EU urban population is exposed to PM 2.5 annual concentrations above 25µg/m 3 ; PM 10 daily concentrations above 50µg/m 3 for more than 35 days per year; O 3 maximum daily 8-hour mean concentrations above 120µg/m 3 for more than 25 days per year; NO 2 annual concentrations above 40µg/m 3 ; Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) annual concentrations above 1ng/m 3 ; and sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) daily concentrations above 125µg/m 3 for more than three days per year. Exposure above WHO guidelines: the EU urban population is exposed to PM 2.5 annual concentrations above 5µg/m 3 ; PM 10 annual concentrations above 15µg/m 3 ; O 3 maximum daily 8-hour mean concentrations exceeding 100µg/m 3 for more than 3-4 days per year; NO 2 annual concentrations above 10µg/m 3 ; BaP annual concentrations above 0.12ng/m 3 ; and SO 2 daily concentrations above 40µg/m 3 for more than three or four days per year. Source : EEA, 2024 .

Methodology

This analysis highlights pollutants deemed most harmful to human health and those that most frequently exceed the current EU air quality standards and WHO guideline levels.

The concentrations are obtained from monitoring station measurements and are officially reported to the EEA by its members and other collaborating countries [1] . The classification of the monitoring stations and the criteria used to determine their inclusion in the analysis are described here . The number of countries that submitted data and the number of monitoring stations with the minimum data coverage required vary for each pollutant. This is summarised in Table 1 for 2022 and Table 2 for 2023. When referring to countries reporting data above certain levels, it means that they reported at least one station with concentrations that surpassed them.

Data for 2022 and 2023 were extracted from the EEA’s reporting system on 5 March 2024.

The analysis for 2022 is based on officially validated data reported by countries. The analysis for 2023 is based on provisional up-to-date (UTD) data. It may change once fully validated data is received by the EEA and more countries are considered. Validated data for 2023 will only be available later in 2024 and will be presented in the 2025 briefing.

Additional information and further analysis are available in the Eionet status reports ETC/HE 2024/3 (Targa et al., 2024a) and ETC/HE 2024/5 (Targa et al., 2024b), prepared by the European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment (ETC HE) .

Further information on the concentrations of air pollutants, including those for previous years, can be found at the EEA’s statistics viewer . Data can be downloaded here .

Apart from the measurements from monitoring stations, some countries also reported 2022 official data from modelling applications, which are available from the Air Quality Modelling Viewer . The results from these modelling applications have been included in this analysis where they implied concentrations above the EU standards.

Navigate the tabs for information on each pollutant: 

• Other pollutants

PM 10 stands for particulate matter with a diameter of 10µm or less. PM 10 is emitted mainly by the combustion of solid fuels for domestic heating, although industrial activities, agriculture and road transport are also important sources. Some also come from natural sources such as sea salt, Saharan dust or volcanoes, and some (secondary PM) form in the atmosphere as a combination of different gases (for instance, ammonia and nitrogen dioxide). Member States can discount the contribution of natural sources to the total concentrations for compliance assessments as these sources are out of their control, but we do not exclude these sources in this status analysis.

Concentrations above the EU daily limit value for PM 10 are seen mainly in Italy and some eastern European countries (Map 1 and Figure 3). In most central and eastern European countries, solid fuels such as coal and wood are widely used for heating households and in some industrial facilities and power plants. The Po Valley in northern Italy is a densely populated and industrialised area with specific meteorological and geographical conditions that favour the accumulation of air pollutants in the atmosphere. Some concentrations are also above the EU daily limit value in southern Spain and the Canary Islands, mainly due to the natural contributions of Saharan dust ( MITECO, 2023 ).

Map 1. Concentrations of PM 10 in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU daily limit value

Note: The map shows the 90.4th percentile of the PM 10 daily mean concentrations, representing the 36th-highest value in a complete series. It is related to the PM 10 daily limit value, allowing 35 exceedances of the 50µg/m 3 threshold over one year. Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database.

Table 3. Country status for PM 10 in 2022 and 2023

Note: ( a ) all the reporting countries; ( b ) all the reporting countries except Estonia and Iceland; ( c ) all the reporting countries except Luxembourg. Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database.

Figure 2. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering PM 10 concentrations above the EU limit values and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

In 2022, 16% of monitoring stations measured concentrations of PM 10  above the EU daily limit value (Figure 2), 84% of which were urban and 12% suburban.

Furthermore, Italy and Poland reported 2022 exceedances of the PM 10  daily limit value based on  assessment models  for 7 and 13 air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 3.  PM 10  concentrations in 2022 by country in relation to the EU daily limit value

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station; the minimum and maximum concentrations; the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (90.4th percentile of the PM 10  daily mean concentrations).

PM 2.5 stands for particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5µm or less. These particles are emitted mainly from the combustion of solid fuels for domestic heating, industrial activities and road transport. As with PM 10 , they can also come from natural sources and can form in the atmosphere. For compliance assessments, Member States can discount the contribution of natural sources to the total concentrations as these sources are out of their control, but in this status analysis, we do not exclude them. Agricultural emissions of ammonia significantly contribute to forming fine particulate matter in the atmosphere.

PM 2.5 concentrations above the EU annual limit value were seen in Italy and some eastern European countries (Map 2 and Figure 5). As for PM 10 , solid fuel use is the main reason for the situation in central and eastern Europe, together with an older vehicle fleet. In northern Italy, the high concentrations are due to the combination of a high density of anthropogenic emissions and also meteorological and geographical conditions that favour the accumulation of air pollutants in the atmosphere and the formation of secondary particles.

Map 2. Concentrations of PM 2.5 in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Table 4. Country status for PM 2.5 in 2022 and 2023

Notes : ( a ) all the reporting countries, except Iceland; ( b ) all the reporting countries. Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Figure 4. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering PM 2.5  concentrations above the EU annual limit value and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

In 2022, 2% of monitoring stations registered concentrations of PM 2.5  above the EU annual limit value (Figure 4), 78% of which were urban and 15% suburban. In contrast, 95% of the PM 2.5 reporting stations registered concentrations above the WHO annual guideline level, 76% of which were urban and 20% suburban.

Furthermore, Italy and Poland reported exceedances of the PM 2.5  annual limit value based on  assessment models  for three and one air quality zones, respectively.

Regarding the EU standards related to the Average Exposure Indicator [2] for PM 2.5 , which assesses the general population’s long-term exposure in urban areas, all EU Member States continued to meet the exposure concentration obligation of 20µg/m 3 in 2022, set as a 2015 target under the  ambient air quality directive [3] . Furthermore, for the first time, all Member States [4] met the national exposure reduction target set for 2020.

Figure 5. PM 2.5  concentrations in 2022 by country in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (annual mean PM 2.5. concentrations).

Ozone (O 3 ) is a pollutant formed in the atmosphere when heat and light cause chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including methane (which is also a powerful greenhouse gas ). Emissions of these gases occur from anthropogenic sources and, in the case of VOCs, also biogenic. Ozone is also transported to Europe from other parts of the northern hemisphere and the upper atmosphere. Meteorology plays an important role in forming and dispersing air pollution, and interannual variations in concentrations. This effect is especially significant for ozone.

Map 3. Concentrations of O 3  in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU target value

Notes:  The map shows the 93.2nd percentile of the O 3  maximum daily eight−hour mean, representing the 26th-highest value in a complete series. It is related to the O 3  target value. Data are presented here for one year only instead of the average over a three-year period, as stated in the definition of the EU target value for O 3 . Source : EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

The highest concentrations in 2022 were found in some Mediterranean and central European countries (Map 3 and Figure 7).

Table 5. Country status for O 3  in 2022 and 2023  

Notes : ( a ) all the reporting countries.  The stations in Kosovo, although reported, did not get the minimum data coverage to estimate the relevant ozone statistics. Source : EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Figure 6. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering O 3  concentrations above the EU target value and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

The long-term EU objective for ozone of 120µg/m 3  was met at 16% of monitoring stations in 2022.

Italy reported exceedances of the O 3  target value for the protection of health based on  assessment models  for three air quality zones. Italy and Poland reported exceedances of the O 3  long-term objective for the protection of health in 9 and 46 air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 7. O 3  concentrations in 2022 by country in relation to the EU target value

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (93.2nd percentile of O 3 maximum daily eight-hour mean). Data are presented here for one year only, not the average over a three-year period as stated in the definition of the EU target value for O 3 .

In 2023, the long-term EU objective for ozone was met at 14% of monitoring stations.

The leading source of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) is road transport, which emits NO 2 close to the ground, mostly in densely populated areas, contributing to population exposure. Other important sources are combustion processes in industry and energy supply.

Concentrations above the annual limit value were found in many Turkish cities and some big cities with a high volume of traffic (Map 4 and Figure 9).

Map 4. Concentrations of NO 2  in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Source :   EEA´s AQ e-reporting database .

Table 6. Country status for NO 2  in 2022 and 2023

Notes : ( a ) all the reporting countries; ( b ) all the reporting countries, except Kosovo; ( c ): all the reporting countries. The stations from Kosovo, although reported, did not get the minimum data coverage to estimate the NO 2 statistics related to the WHO air quality daily guideline level. Source : EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Figure 8. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering NO 2  concentrations above the EU limit values and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

In 2022, 2% of monitoring stations registered concentrations of NO 2  above the EU annual limit value (Figure 8), 76% of which were traffic stations. Concentrations above the NO 2 WHO annual guideline level were registered at 74% of all monitoring stations, 45% of which were traffic stations.

Belgium, Italy and Poland reported exceedances of the NO 2  annual limit value based on  assessment models  for three, two and four air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 9. NO 2  concentrations in 2022 by country and in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75 th percentiles of all the measurements (annual mean NO 2 concentrations).

In 2023, 1% of monitoring stations registered concentrations of NO 2  above the annual limit value, all of which were traffic stations. 68% of monitoring stations registered concentrations above the WHO annual guideline level, 46% of which were traffic stations.

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)  is a carcinogenic pollutant emitted mainly from the combustion of coal and wood for heating and, to a lesser extent, from industrial installations and the combustion of agricultural waste.

The highest concentrations  were found in Italy and eastern Europe (Map 5 and Figure 10), where the use of coal and other solid fuels for residential heating is widespread.

Map 5. Concentrations of BaP in 2022

Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database

Country status for BaP in 2022: 12 out of 27 reporting countries, all of which were EU Member States, registered values above 1.0 ng/m 3 . Concentrations above 1.0 ng/m 3  were registered at 25% of the reported monitoring stations, the majority of which were urban (78%) or suburban (18%). Greece and Poland reported exceedances of the BaP target value based on  assessment models  for one and 32 air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 10. BaP concentrations in 2022 by country

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (annual mean BaP concentrations).

Country status for  sulphur dioxide (SO 2 )  in 2022:

• 4 out of 37 reporting countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye, North Macedonia and Serbia) — none of them EU Member States — registered levels above the EU daily limit value of 125µg/m 3 ;
• 17 countries, including nine EU Member States, registered values above the WHO daily guideline level of 40µg/m 3 [5] .

In 2022, 1% of reporting monitoring stations registered concentrations above the EU daily limit value and 6% of stations registered concentrations above the WHO daily guideline level.

In 2023, 11 reporting stations outside the EU (nine in Bosnia and Herzegovina and two in North Macedonia) registered concentrations of SO 2  above the EU daily limit value. In the same year, concentrations above the WHO daily guideline level were registered in 13 countries (including 10 EU Member States) out of 33 reporting countries.

Concentrations above the corresponding EU limit or target values were also registered in 2022 for the following pollutants:

• carbon monoxide (CO) at one station, located in the non-EU Member State of Serbia, out of 35 reporting countries;
• for benzene and lead, no stations reported concentrations above EU annual limit values in the 28 and 30 reporting countries, respectively. Italy reported exceedances of the benzene annual limit value based on  assessment models  for one air quality zone;
• arsenic in six stations across three EU Member States (Belgium, Finland and Poland, with two stations each) out of 29 reporting countries. Poland reported exceedances of the arsenic annual target value based on  assessment models  for two air quality zones;
• cadmium at one station, located in the EU Member State of Bulgaria, out of 30 reporting countries;
• nickel in four stations located in four EU Member States (Finland, France, Germany and Italy) out of 29 reporting countries.

[1]  The 27 European Union Member States, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Türkiye. The six West Balkan countries are cooperating countries. These include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo (the designation is without prejudice to position on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence). Andorra reports data on a voluntary basis.

[2]  The Average Exposure Indicator (AEI) is based on a three-year average measured at urban background stations. The AEI for 2022 is based on 2020-2022. It assesses the general population’s long-term exposure in urban areas.

[3]  As well as the EU-27, Iceland and Norway also reported an AEI2022 below the exposure concentration obligation. The AEI2022 estimated for Switzerland, Andorra, Kosovo, Türkiye and Montenegro was also below the exposure concentration obligation. On the contrary, the estimated AEI2022 for Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was above the exposure concentration obligation.

[4]  Plus Iceland and Norway.

[5]  The 99.18th percentile of the daily values has been considered, meaning three days of exceedance per year.

EEA, 2024. Indicator AIR003 'Exceedance of air quality standards in Europe'

Targa, J., Colina, M., Banyuls, L., González Ortiz, A., Soares, J. (2024a). Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2022, using validated data (ETC-HE Report 2024/3)

Targa, J., Colina, M., Banyuls, L., González Ortiz, A., Soares, J. (2024b). Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2023, using validated and up-to-date data (ETC-HE Report 2024/5).

MITECO, 2023. Evaluación de la Calidad del Aire en España 2022, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico Secretaría General Técnica. Centro de Publicaciones., NIPO: 665-21-045-X

Identifiers

Briefing no. 06/2024 Title: Europe’s air quality status 2024 EN HTML: TH-AM-24-009-EN-Q - ISBN: 978-92-9480-650-5 - ISSN: 2467-3196 - doi: 10.2800/5970

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Interactive charts, related publications.

The country assessments are the sole responsibility of the EEA member and cooperating countries supported by the EEA through guidance, translation and editing.

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Temporal coverage.

For references , please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/europes-air-quality-status-2024/europes-air-quality-status-2024 or scan the QR code.

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'House of the Dragon' Season 2 premiere: Date, time, cast, where to watch and stream

The "Dance of the Dragons" will soon begin.

The next season of the "Game of Thrones" Targaryen  spin-off  "House of the Dragon" is set to premiere this weekend, bringing with it a civil war that promises to rip the Seven Kingdoms apart in the battle for the Iron Throne.

Picking up where Season 1 left off, the new season will chronicle the war between two warring factions of the Targaryen family led by King Aegon II and Queen Rhaenyra in the fight for control of Westeros.

As GoT fans know, the end result of this dragon versus dragon, kin versus kin war eventually leads to the end of Targaryen rule. But how we got there? That remains to be seen, via some spectacularly dark and explosive storytelling.

Here's what to know about "House of the Dragon" Season 2.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

'House of the Dragon' review: Season 2 is good, bad and very ugly all at once

When does 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 premiere?

"House of the Dragon" Season 2 will premiere at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, June 16.

How to watch 'House of the Dragon' Season 2

"House of the Dragon" airs exclusively on  HBO . New episodes air on the HBO television channel  each Sunday at 9 a.m. ET/PT. Episodes are available to stream on Max the same day.

Customers  can get  HBO and Max subscriptions via a traditional online sign-up or through their TV provider. Plans range from $9.99 to $19.99 a month.

Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox

'House of the Dragon' episode schedule

House of the Dragon Season 2 will release new episodes every Sunday on HBO and Max. The eight-episode season will begin in June and end in August, with each episode running about an hour.

• Episode 1: Sunday, June 16
• Episode 2: Sunday, June 23
• Episode 3: Sunday, June 30
• Episode 4: Sunday, July 7
• Episode 5: Sunday, July 14
• Episode 6: Sunday, July 21
• Episode 7: Sunday, July 28
• Episode 8: Sunday, August 4

'House of the Dragon' Season 2 trailer

'house of the dragon' season 2 cast.

New arrivals will join the returning cast in the coming season. Returning cast members include:

• Matt Smith  as Daemon Targaryen 
• Olivia Cooke  as adult Alicent Hightower
• Emma D’Arcy  as adult Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Eve Best  as Rhaenys Targaryen
• Steve Toussaint  as Corlys Velaryon
• Fabien Frankel  as Ser Criston Cole
• Ewan Mitchell  as Aemond Targaryen
• Tom Glynn-Carney  as Aegon Targaryen
• Sonoya Mizuno  as Mysaria 
• Rhys Ifans  as Otto Hightower 
• Harry Collett  as Jacaerys Velaryon
• Bethany Antonia  as Baela Targaryen
• Phoebe Campbell  as Rhaena Targaryen
• Phia Saban  as Halaena Targaryen
• Jefferson Hall  as Tyland and Jason Lannister
• Matthew Needham  as Larys Strong

New characters and new actors will also be introduced this season, including:

• Clinton Liberty  as Addam of Hull
• Jamie Kenna  as Ser Alfred Broome
• Kieran Bew  as Hugh
• Tom Bennett  as Ulf
• Tom Taylor  as Lord Cregan Stark
• Vincent Regan  as Ser Rickard Thorne
• Abubakar Salim  as Alyn of Hull
• Gayle Rankin  as Alys Rivers
• Freddie Fox  as Ser Gwayne Hightower
• Simon Russell Beale  as Ser Simon Strong

What happened in 'House of the Dragon' Season 1?

Like its "Game of Thrones" predecessor, "House of the Dragon" is adapted from a novel by George R.R. Martin titled "Fire & Blood."

Set 200 years before the events of the hit series "Game of Thrones," the series centers around the plight of the Targaryen family who hold the throne under King Viserys I Targaryen.

The prequel begins with exploring the ascent to the throne and rule of King Viserys, an ancestor of GoT's Daenerys Targaryen, and the conflict he creates by declaring his daughter Rhaenyra next in line to the Iron Throne, breaking the male-only tradition.

In the Season 1 finale, Aemond Targaryen (son of King Viserys and Alicent Hightower) killed Lucerys Velaryon (son of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen), ushering in the "Dance of the Dragons," a civil war that promises to rip the kingdom in two. The all-out war will be fought by the Greens (led by Alicent and King Aegon II) and the Blacks (headed by Rhaenyra and Daemon) and will see other prominent families, like the Starks, Lannisters and Baratheons, getting in on the action.

Euros 2024 – Articles

Map reveals where new rail routes could be introduced across the UK

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More frequent and new rail services could be on the way, as independent operators roll out plans to launch extra trains around the country.

Stirling in Scotland and Carmarthen in Wales could be some of the first places to have direct links to London after proposals from prospective open-access company Grand Union Trains (GUT).

It is one of several operators to give rail travel a boost and offer low fares on already expensive routes.

They are backed by the UK government , which says the rise of open access gives customers more choice and increases passenger numbers.

Rail minister Huw Merriman said: ‘It’s not just a question of us having rail operators compete with each other.

‘There’s an opportunity for rail to take passengers that may otherwise fly or indeed drive.

‘Open access is such a positive.’

Mr Merriman added: ‘There’s no industrial action on open-access operators, perhaps because it’s a fresher way of working with the workforce rather than on an old rule book basis.’

During recent rail strikes, companies like Lumo and Grand Central have been able to continue running services due to their separate status.

GUT is also consulting on a possible service between Edinburgh and Cardiff. There is currently no direct route connecting the Scottish and Welsh capitals.

Other would-be open-access operators include Go-Op, which aims to run services between Taunton and both Weston-super-Mare and Swindon, and Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway, which hopes to create a route between London Euston and Wrexham.

Lumo also plans to extend its route between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh to reach Glasgow, while FirstGroup wants to launch a service between the same London terminus and Sheffield.

What is an open-access rail operator?

Most of the major rail operators in the UK are either owned or paid management fees by the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.

LNER, Scotrail, CrossCountry, Avanti West Coast and many, many others fall into this category.

But the tracks can also be used by open-access operators, which set their own fares, take full commercial risk, and don’t receive any taxpayer-funded subsidies.

They include companies like Lumo, Grand Central, Heathrow Express, Eurostar and Hull Trains – with several more due to spring up soon.

Proponents say the availability of these other options increases competition which drives down fares.

But critics argue that the companies are simply taking advantage of a ‘false economy’, and it would be better for passengers if the large operators just simplified their timetables.

Grand Central managing director Ian Yeowart said: ‘It’s not only good for passengers – as whether (the operators) survive depends on how good they are and what their customers think – but there are no handouts from the government.

‘Like every other business, if people don’t like it and don’t come, it won’t survive.’

But Gareth Dennis, an engineer who writes about the rail industry, said open-access services should not be permitted in the UK because of the complexity of fitting the trains into already crammed timetables.

He said: ‘The argument on the Continent for open access operators is that they provide competition, but there’s no meaningful competition on a rail network that’s as saturated as ours.

‘What you need is a simple, repetitive timetable that moves huge numbers of people.’

Mr Dennis argued that the operators could charge lower fares because they use depots that exist for other companies and can recruit staff that had been trained already rather than training their own.

He added: ‘It’s a false economy really.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

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