The number of flights in Europe by 2030 will rise 80 percent from the 2009 total

to hit 16.9 million, according to a forecast from Eurocontrol, the organization responsible for coordinating the continent's air traffic control. Eurocontrol predicted annual growth between 1.6 percent and 3.9 percent, with more rapid expansion before 2020. Eastern Europe would see faster growth in flight volume than Western Europe, and there would be more new services between Europe and other regions than within Europe, according to the forecast. Although its predictions are far more modest than for other parts of the world--including China and India--Eurocontrol warned that increasingly severe constraints on European airport capacity would lead to a greater likelihood of delays as airports would be unable to cope with increased demand.