Why 2022 was a very bad year for train and flight delays in France
Strikes, heatwaves and staff shortages as travel resumed after Covid restrictions all contributed to making 2022 a very bad year for delays on French planes and trains, a new report concludes.
An annual report by France's Transport Quality of Service Authority (TQSA) found that 2022 was one of the worst years in the past decade when it came to train and plane delays.
The year 2022 marked a return to largely normal travel patterns after the pandemic, but a lack of preparedness led to severe disruption in air travel.
One in five domestic flights in France were marked as late, with a quarter of short-haul flights and three out of every ten long-haul flights delayed as well.
More than one in ten trains in France failed to leave on time in 2022 - with 14 percent of TGVs, 17 percent of Intercités and 8 percent of TERs delayed on average.
Local TER services in Brittany were most punctual, with under five percent of trains delayed, while Occitanie had the most disruption with an average of 11 percent of trains delayed.
Overall, the ACST noted in their report that the "increase in punctuality seen in years previous is, unfortunately, largely over".
Why the increase in disruption?
The TQSA explained the lack of punctuality as being linked to events like heatwave and drought which affected rail traffic in 2022, as well as strikes and staff shortages on airlines.
France saw temperatures surge repeatedly in successive heatwaves from May and into October, accompanied by wildfires in many areas that disrupted train travel.
READ MORE: IN NUMBERS: How hot was France's record-breaking 2022?
As for strike action, in 2022, walkouts were shown to have a lower impact on delays than in 2019.
Generally, the increase in delays was mostly due a lack of preparedness for higher levels of travel after the pandemic, particularly when it comes to staffing.
The report noted that airplanes have been short on cabin crew, while airports have lacked reception staff, namely security personnel to deal with a higher influx of passengers.
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An annual report by France's Transport Quality of Service Authority (TQSA) found that 2022 was one of the worst years in the past decade when it came to train and plane delays.
The year 2022 marked a return to largely normal travel patterns after the pandemic, but a lack of preparedness led to severe disruption in air travel.
One in five domestic flights in France were marked as late, with a quarter of short-haul flights and three out of every ten long-haul flights delayed as well.
More than one in ten trains in France failed to leave on time in 2022 - with 14 percent of TGVs, 17 percent of Intercités and 8 percent of TERs delayed on average.
Local TER services in Brittany were most punctual, with under five percent of trains delayed, while Occitanie had the most disruption with an average of 11 percent of trains delayed.
Overall, the ACST noted in their report that the "increase in punctuality seen in years previous is, unfortunately, largely over".
Why the increase in disruption?
The TQSA explained the lack of punctuality as being linked to events like heatwave and drought which affected rail traffic in 2022, as well as strikes and staff shortages on airlines.
France saw temperatures surge repeatedly in successive heatwaves from May and into October, accompanied by wildfires in many areas that disrupted train travel.
READ MORE: IN NUMBERS: How hot was France's record-breaking 2022?
As for strike action, in 2022, walkouts were shown to have a lower impact on delays than in 2019.
Generally, the increase in delays was mostly due a lack of preparedness for higher levels of travel after the pandemic, particularly when it comes to staffing.
The report noted that airplanes have been short on cabin crew, while airports have lacked reception staff, namely security personnel to deal with a higher influx of passengers.
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