Barcelona-Amsterdam: Europe's most stressful air route for flyers

Published on 01/10/2026 – 12:42 GMT+2•Updated
12:54

The route between Amsterdam Schiphol and Barcelona El Prat is Europe’s most stressful air route for passengers who are afraid of flying, according to an analysis by AirAdvisor, which also places the Madrid Barajas–London Heathrow connection among the top ten in the ranking.

The study takes into account factors such as delays, cancellations, weather conditions and flight duration, but does not assess air safety.

“Fear of flying rarely depends on a single factor,” said AirAdvisor chief executive Anton Radchenko, quoted in a statement. “Long waits at the boarding gate, unexpected last-minute cancellations and tricky weather conditions can significantly increase a passenger’s anxiety.”

The Amsterdam–Barcelona connection scores 75.1 points out of 100, the highest rating of the 26 European routes analysed. Between September 2025 and August 2026, 7.02% of its flights were delayed by more than an hour, 0.83% were delayed by over three hours and 2.93% were cancelled. On top of this comes exposure to adverse weather conditions at the Dutch airport.

The second most stressful route, according to the study, is London Heathrow–Amsterdam, which has the highest cancellation rate, at 3.69%. This route, linking two of the world’s busiest airports, scores 63.8 points.

The route between Madrid Barajas and London Heathrow ranks tenth, with 40.8 points. 3.38% of its flights recorded delays of more than an hour, while 0.17% were delayed by over three hours and 1.15% were cancelled.

Other Spanish connections also appear in the ranking. Barcelona El Prat and Rome Fiumicino occupy seventh place, with 45.2 points, while the route between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca comes thirteenth. The latter stands out for its delays, which affected 6.89% of flights.

The index, which weights cancellations, delays, weather and journey duration, measures the predictability of flights, not their safety. According to Radchenko, knowing what incidents have been recorded can help passengers who are afraid of flying to prepare better for their journeys.