Kiwi.com Flight Disruptions Report: June 2025

Middle East conflict drives 120% increase in global flight disruptions 

 

Kiwi.com, a leading global travel technology company investing in solving the key anxieties consumers face when traveling by air, has released its inaugural monthly Flight Disruptions Report.      

 

Drawing on the company’s own extensive view of global flight content, the report has taken a look at the key drivers of flight disruptions during June 2025. 

 

Top causes of flight disruptions¹  | June 2025 

KEY CAUSES OF DISRUPTIONS	% OF TOTAL	YoY ⬆️⬇️
Geopolitics/War/Terrorism – Middle East conflict	87.41% 87.13%	2467%
Industrial Action	7.82%	60%
Uncategorized	1.42%	12%
Air Traffic Control Restrictions	1.41%	—
Airline Operational Issues	1.32%	47%
Natural Disasters	0.42%	—
Government Regulations	0.15%	—
Airport Closures	0.05%	-92%

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¹) Based on number of Kiwi.com passengers affected by flight disruptions

 

 

The conflict in the Middle East was the biggest cause of flight disruptions during the month of June, accounting for 87.13% of the total number of Kiwi.com customers affected by flight disruptions worldwide. The conflict has also been the key driver of disruptions doubling when comparing the same period in 2024 at a global level. The global disruption rate grew to 3.84% in June, whilst for the most impacted countries in the Middle East* a peak of 54% disruption rate was observed.

 

The start of summer in Europe saw travelers impacted by industrial action. Strikes by either airport or airline staff in the UK, France, Italy, Finland and Argentina accounted for almost 8% of overall disruptions during June. This resulted in 60% more passengers affected by disruptions caused by industrial action than last year. 

 

The impacts on flights following the tragic Air India AI171 aircraft accident near Ahmedabad airport accounted for 1.42% of Kiwi.com passengers affected by disruptions in June. Air traffic control issues affected Geneva and Naples airports in Europe whilst in the USA the ongoing FAA cap of hourly flights at Newark was in place to reduce strain and enhance safety.

 

The Mount Lewotobi volcanic eruption in Indonesia had some impact on flights to and from Bali, amounting to 0.42% of the total June disruptions for Kiwi.com customers. Volcanic eruptions are a regular occurrence around the world every day but only some lead to airspace restrictions.  

 

Commenting on the findings and the impacts of disruptions for Kiwi.com customers, Oliver Dlouhý, Kiwi.com co-founder and CEO, shared: “Supporting our customers in the event of disruptions is a fundamental part of our strategy and product development as we recognise it is one of the biggest causes of anxiety for travelers. With the launch of the Kiwi.com Guarantee last year we have protected our customers affected by disruptions and this includes paying out over €1 Million to those whose flights were affected by the Middle East Conflict.”

 

Kiwi.com Guarantee | Helping customers reach their destinations 

 

A family of six travelling in June from Copenhagen to Jeddah via Istanbul found one of their flights disrupted a day prior to travelling, affecting their entire trip. With Kiwi.com’s disruption protection they did not have to worry for long as replacement flights were found and 12 minutes later their new itinerary was confirmed.

 

A Kiwi.com customer from Kazakhstan transiting through Dubai in June was impacted by a cancellation on the day of their journey. The disruption activated automatic communication and suggestions of alternatives to replace the cancelled flight were shared, resulting in getting the customer to their destination faster than the original booking, with no need for making any calls. 

 

Kiwi.com customer Gareth Boughtwood from the UK shared his experience of being supported by the Kiwi.com Guarantee: 

 

“During a trip to Southeast Asia in June our flights were cancelled twice. The app was really easy to navigate, the first one was Ryanair which we were given a refund for and we rebooked flights ourselves straight away.”

 

“The second was in Jakarta and Kiwi sorted everything for us. It was stressful when we heard the news that our flight was cancelled but the ease of rebooking was so flawless we were soon celebrating with a beer. I’d highly recommend the Kiwi platform. Also as a web developer I usually notice issues that others wouldn’t but everything worked smoothly. They’ve created a great user experience!”

 

– ends –

 

NOTES FOR EDITORS

 

^*Countries in the Middle East most affected by flight disruptions: Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar 

 

Categorization of causes of flight disruptions

 

For the purposes of this report and further internal analyses, the various events causing flight disruptions are grouped into multiple categories, which are designed to be as comprehensive as possible. In June, the following types of disruption events were recorded by Kiwi.com:

 

• Geopolitics/War/Terrorism 

In June, most of the cases in Kiwi.com’s data were related to the escalation of the Middle East conflict

• Industrial Action

Any disruption event caused by either airport or airline staff strikes. In June, examples included cabin crew strikes affecting flights across Spain, the general strike in Italy, or an air traffic control strike in southern France impacting airports in Marseille, Toulouse, Montpellier, Nice, Lourdes, and Limoges

• Air Traffic Control Restrictions

Typically, technical issues at airports. In June, this included a radar malfunction at Naples Capodichino Airport which occurred during the night between June 9th and 10th, with disruptions continuing into the following day.

• Airline Operational Issues

Includes events such as airline insolvency resulting in flight cancelations, which in June was the case for Jetstar Asia and Florida-based Silver Airways. 

• Natural Disasters

Events such as wildfires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, mudslides and landslides, or extreme flooding. An example covered by the June report was the eruption of the Mount Lewotobi volcano in Indonesia

• Government Regulations

For example, changes in governmental policies such as the US president’s proclamation banning travel to the US from 12 countries, signed on June 5 and going into effect on June 9

• Airport Closures 

Such as the half-day closure of Zagreb airport on June 9 due to an aircraft skidding off the runway

• Uncategorized

Very rarely, events that do not fit into any of the predefined categories happen. These appear as “uncategorized” and are usually one-off events, such as the April power outage in Spain and Portugal or the February disruptions at London Stansted Airport due to a local railway failure. In June, this was the case for the flights disrupted after the tragic Air India aircraft crash. 

 

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