and Stansted airports have been named the worst in the UK for delayed flights in 2024, according to a new analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) statistics.
The study, conducted by flight compensation experts using CAA data, revealed that passengers at these major UK airports experienced the longest average delays to their flights throughout the year.
CAA data from January to November 2024 shows that the average delay at Gatwick and Stansted each month regularly exceeded 25 minutes.
Manchester, Luton, Birmingham, Heathrow and Bristol airports followed closely behind in the rankings, with average delays across 2024 exceeding 18 minutes. But there was good news for travellers flying from Liverpool, London City and East Midlands airports, with average delays falling below 13 minutes.
Airport delays are extremely frustrating for passengers (Image: Getty)
The CAA notes on its website that unforeseen events such as severe weather conditions, technical issues, or other extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of airports and airlines can impact flight schedules. These disruptions do not necessarily reflect the long-term performance or reliability of the airline or airport.
Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, said: “2024 was by no means a straightforward year for airports and carriers. The global IT outage in July resulted in worldwide travel chaos, causing mass delays and cancellations at airports across the world. The CAA’s data suggest that the average delay times at Gatwick and Stansted airports surged to 35 minutes in July, a considerable spike in comparison to their annual averages of around 20 minutes.
“Airports are still navigating a post- travel boom which is seeing more people fly than ever before, with new routes launching on a daily basis and airports becoming busier as a result. At peak times, like the August school holidays, more planes leaving the tarmac makes delays and cancellations more likely.”
August proved to be a challenging month for Gatwick and Stansted, with average delay times escalating to 32 and 26 minutes respectively.
Back in June, Manchester Airport was hit by a power cut which led to significant disruption across numerous flights. According to the CAA figures, the average delay time for June soared to 27 minutes, overshooting its 2024 average of 19.2 minutes.
A power cut at Manchester Airport caused long delays in June (Image: Getty)
Weather events outside of airport control also played havoc throughout the year.
Birmingham Airport faced challenges in the summer due to confusion over liquid restrictions, resulting in longer delays. The CAA’s statistics revealed that average delays leapt to 25 minutes over the reporting period, well above the typical delay time of 18.6 minutes.
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport stated: “Punctuality of flights can be affected by a number of factors, most of which are outside of an airport’s control. These include inclement weather, airline crew shortages, delays to inbound flights, and even things like continental air traffic control issues including capacity restrictions and industrial action.
“As such, it is inherently misleading to passengers to imply a link between airports and delays although periodically we do see companies doing this in order to promote themselves and sell particular products or services. In reality, passengers can feel assured that the vast majority of flights that leave Manchester Airport do so on time.”
Stansted had average delays of 19.5 minutes (Image: Getty)
These views were shared by spokesperson, who added: “In reality passengers can feel assured that the vast majority of flights that leave London Stansted do so on time, and with the fewest number of cancellations of any major airport in the south-east.”
Average delays on each flight in 2024 (January to November)
- Gatwick – 22 minutes
- Stansted – 19.5 minutes
- Manchester – 19.2 minutes
- Birmingham Airport – 18.9 minutes
- Luton – 18.2 minutes
- Heathrow – 18 minutes
- Cardiff – 18 minutes
- Bournemouth – 17.6 minutes
- Bristol – 17.4 minutes
- Newcastle – 16.3 minutes
- Edinburgh – 17 minutes
- Leeds Bradford – 15.5 minutes
- Southampton – 14.3 minutes
- Glasgow – 14.3 minutes
- Belfast International – 13.8 minutes
- Liverpool – 13 minutes
- London City – 13 minutes
- East Midlands – 12.8 minutes