EU261 Reform Misses the Mark on Delays and Competitiveness

17 June 2026 (Geneva) - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed frustration that revisions to EU261 (Europe’s passenger rights regulations) stopped short of the meaningful reform needed to address the regulation’s deep flaws. The result is a missed opportunity with little to improve the passenger experience and nothing to shore-up European competitiveness.

The only substantial changes with respect to disruptions were:

• The addition of a non-exhaustive list of extraordinary circumstances, albeit one which inexplicably fails to reinforce the industry’s safety-first approach, and
• A requirement for airports to have contingency plans for accommodation in the event of mass disruptions, which is a first small step on the road to shared accountability across the aviation ecosystem.