New evaluation of Civil Aviation Authority knowledge ranks Gatwick, Luton and Heathrow additionally amongst different UK airports for his or her flight delay occasions
Manchester Airport was ranked because the worst for delays (Picture: Getty Photos/Inventory Picture)
Recent figures have uncovered which UK airports carry out worst for flight delays.
Manchester Airport has been named the nation’s worst for flight delays, prompting warnings that travellers can not guide journeys from there “with any actual confidence”.
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The northern hub is England’s third busiest, but departures ran a mean of 19-and-a-half minutes late in 2025, in accordance with an evaluation of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) knowledge by the Press Affiliation.
Whereas this time represents an enchancment on earlier years, the delays remained longer than at every other airport.
Flight delays are incessantly triggered by elements past airports’ management, together with air site visitors management (ATC) disruption and hostile climate.
Rory Boland, editor of journal Which? Journey, mentioned the selection of airport “should not make or break your journey” however “too many holidays obtained off to a horrible begin final yr”.
He added: “Manchester Airport has ranked final in our airport survey for 4 consecutive years and these new CAA figures validate why this can be a notably poor place to be stranded throughout delays.
“For passengers already cautious of journey uncertainty, seeing such constant underperformance makes it tough to guide with any actual confidence.”
Birmingham Airport recorded the second worst flight punctuality final yr, with a mean delay of 18 minutes and 42 seconds.
In third place was Bournemouth Airport (17 minutes and 18 seconds).
Only a brief distance from Manchester, Liverpool John Lennon Airport boasted essentially the most dependable flights, recording a mean delay of merely 9 minutes and 24 seconds.
Cancellations had been excluded from the evaluation, which examined scheduled and chartered departures from the 23 industrial UK airports dealing with not less than 1,000 outbound flights final yr.
In complete, the typical delay for departures final yr stood at 14 minutes and 54 seconds, an enchancment from 18 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024.
UK flight delay occasions have been revealed (Picture: Oscar Wong through Getty Photos)
Manchester is Britain’s solely dual-runway airport other than Heathrow, and served 32 million passengers final yr.
Work to revamp Terminal 3 continues, whereas a decade-long £1.3 billion transformation which included modernising and doubling the scale of Terminal 2, alongside the closure of Terminal 1, was not too long ago completed.
A spokesperson for the airport mentioned: “Punctuality is affected by elements which are outdoors of an airport’s management.
“The 2 most vital elements contributing to delays within the final yr have been industrial motion affecting air site visitors management in Europe, and the climate.
“These had been exacerbated by airspace restrictions above battle zones which means airports with vital long-haul networks, like Manchester, had been extra considerably affected than others.
“As an trade we’re working collectively to realize the absolute best on-time departure charges, whereas defending flight schedules and avoiding the necessity for cancellations.”
A spokesman for Bournemouth Airport said that the causes of delays are past its management “within the majority of instances”, including that it’s “one of many UK’s top-ranked regional airports for passenger satisfaction”.
Relying on the size of the delay and the space of the route, travellers are entitled to affordable refreshments, a method of communication and in a single day lodging the place vital.
Airways incessantly fail to supply this when widespread delays are affecting giant numbers of passengers.
Travellers can also be eligible to say compensation of as much as £520 from their airline if the delay is deemed to have been inside its management, akin to an plane fault or pilot sickness.
Air site visitors management points are thought to be an “extraordinary circumstance”, which means these affected should not entitled to any monetary payout.
Anna Bowles, head of shopper on the CAA, known as on the aviation trade to stay “centered on delivering punctual and dependable journeys for passengers wherever attainable”, warning that delays have a “actual impression for folks heading off on holidays”.
She added: “When disruption happens, how the trade responds actually issues.
“Passengers must be stored knowledgeable and given the care and assist they’re entitled to.”
A spokesperson for commerce physique AirportsUK mentioned passengers are “benefitting from enhancements within the service they obtain”, and delays in 2025 had been “down considerably on the earlier yr”.
The total breakdown is under:
1. Manchester (19 minutes and 30 seconds)
2. Birmingham (18 minutes and 42 seconds)
3. Bournemouth (17 minutes and 18 seconds)
4. Southampton (16 minutes and 36 seconds)
5. Gatwick (16 minutes and 24 seconds)
6. Newcastle (quarter-hour and 48 seconds)
=7. Leeds Bradford (quarter-hour and 36 seconds)
=7. Stansted (quarter-hour and 36 seconds)
9. Edinburgh (quarter-hour and 24 seconds)
10. Teesside (quarter-hour and 6 seconds)
=11. Cardiff (14 minutes and 54 seconds)
=11. Exeter (14 minutes and 54 seconds)
13. Bristol (14 minutes and 36 seconds)
=14. London Metropolis (14 minutes and 12 seconds)
=14. Luton (14 minutes and 12 seconds)
16. Heathrow (12 minutes and 42 seconds)
17. Belfast Worldwide (12 minutes and 24 seconds)
=18. Glasgow (12 minutes and 6 seconds)
=18. Belfast Metropolis (12 minutes and 6 seconds)
20. East Midlands (11 minutes and 48 seconds)
21. Aberdeen (10 minutes and 54 seconds)
22. Southend (10 minutes and 24 seconds)
23. Liverpool John Lennon (9 minutes and 24 seconds)
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