The return to post-crisis normality has been a painful one for France's transport industry... The annual report on quality of service 2022 published on 26 July by theAQST (Transport Quality of Service Authority) sums it up as follows: "After the upturn during the health crisis, 2022 marks a return to one of the worst train and plane punctuality records of the decade". Airline companies and rail operators are thus sent back to back by the organisation, which also deplores the unavailability of DGAC data on flight cancellations.
As far as air travel delays are concerned, the AQST points to problematic increases, whatever the length of the journey. Domestic flights show a delay rate of 19.4%, compared with 10.9% in 2021 and 15.6% before the crisis, in 2019. The phenomenon is also observed on medium-haul (28.1% in 2022, compared with 15.4% in 2021 and 22.6% in 2019) and long-haul (28.4% in 2022, 24.1% in 2021 and 23.6% in 2019). These figures put the average delay time at 46 minutes for domestic and medium-haul flights, and 51 minutes for long-haul flights.
In the rail sector, the Transport Quality of Service Authority states that
the strikes in December 2022 did have an impact on traffic, "but to a much lesser extent than in December 2019". The report shows a delay rate of 14.2% for TGVs in 2022, compared with 11.3% in 2021 and 13.8% in 2019. On international routes, the delay rate will be 16.2%, compared with 10.3% during the crisis and 14.6% in 2019. On the Intercités network, delays reached 16.7%, compared with 8% for TERs. The AQST report also describes "major geographical disparities". Brittany is a good example, with a delay rate of 4.4%, unlike Occitanie (11%). As for trains cancelled at short notice (D-1 to D-3), "the record is better for long-distance trains (TGV, intercity, international), with a slight deterioration for TERs", summarises the AQST.
