The worst airports within the UK for flight delays final yr have been ranked.
The common delay for flights throughout all airports was nearly 20 minutes and 42 seconds, down from 23 minutes and 12 seconds in 2022, when the aviation sector struggled to deal with a surge in demand for holidays following the top of coronavirus journey restrictions.
The evaluation took under consideration all scheduled and chartered departures from the 22 business UK airports with not less than 1,000 outbound flights final yr. Cancellations weren’t included.
Departures from the Gatwick have been a median of practically 27 minutes not on time in 2023, in accordance with evaluation of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) information by the PA information company.
The airport, which is the second-busiest within the UK, was badly affected by air visitors management (ATC) employees shortages throughout Europe final yr, and repeatedly suffered the identical drawback in its personal management tower.
Gatwick stated in a press release it’s “working carefully with our airline companions to enhance on-time efficiency”.
Luton airport had the second poorest punctuality report final yr, with a median delay of just about 23 minutes.
In third place was Manchester airport, at practically 22 minutes.
Belfast Metropolis (George Finest) airport had the very best efficiency, with a typical delay of 12-and-a-half minutes.
Naomi Leach, deputy editor of client journal Which? Journey, stated: “It’s clear from these newest figures that tens of millions of passengers continued to expertise unacceptably lengthy hold-ups final yr.
“This can’t be allowed to change into the brand new regular.”
CAA director Tim Johnson stated it’s vital the aviation sector “focuses on resilience” forward of the summer season vacation interval to “preserve passenger disruption to a minimal”.
He added: “The place individuals do discover themselves dealing with disruption, we would like them to be well-informed concerning the obligation of care that they’re entitled to.”
Julia Lo Bue-Stated, chief govt of Benefit Journey Partnership, a community of unbiased journey brokers, stated flight disruption is “all the time extremely irritating”.
She continued: “Any delay can have vital knock-on results to each leisure and enterprise travellers.
“With tens of millions of Brits set to journey overseas this summer season, it’s important for the UK’s airports alongside all components of the journey eco-system to repeatedly work collectively to make sure the system is as environment friendly as it may be.”
When flights are considerably delayed or cancelled, airways are required underneath client legal guidelines to supply passengers with help akin to refreshments, a method of communication and in a single day lodging if required.
If the reason for disruption is underneath an airline’s management, passengers are additionally due compensation of as much as £520 relying on the size of the delay and the gap of the flight.
However air visitors management (ATC) points are typically thought-about to be an “extraordinary circumstance”, which means affected passengers are usually not entitled to payouts.
Gatwick stated in a press release: “As probably the most environment friendly single runway airport on the planet, we purpose to ship a seamless passenger expertise.
“The vast majority of cancellations are brought on by poor climate, airspace constraints throughout Europe and inefficient third celebration floor operations.
“We’re working carefully with our airline companions to enhance on-time efficiency.
“As well as, now we have revealed a six-year capital funding programme setting out vital enhancements to develop and improve infrastructure and amenities to construct the resilience of the airport.”
A spokesperson for commerce physique the Airport Operators Affiliation stated: “Airports work extraordinarily onerous to minimise delays whereas offering a optimistic, secure and safe expertise for passengers.
“These figures don’t present any of the context round working in a worldwide atmosphere and don’t give the travelling public a transparent image of how air journey operates.”
Gatwick imposed a brief cap on flights in September 2023 in an try to scale back the variety of short-notice cancellations and delays resulting from employees shortages in its ATC tower.
