2 weeks Ago
Gatwick airport has been named as the UK’s worst airport for flight delays. This is the second year running that the West Sussex airport received this title. According to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the PA news agency, departures from the airport were an average of more than 23 minutes behind schedule in 2024.
This represents an improvement from nearly 27 minutes during the previous 12 months but is longer than at any other UK airport. Gatwick, which is the UK’s second busiest airport, was badly affected by ATC staff shortages across continental Europe in 2024 and suffered the same problem in its own control tower. The analysis took into account scheduled and chartered departures from the 22 commercial UK airports with at least 1,000 outbound flights last year.
Cancellations were not included. Other airports with long delays featured Birmingham, second worst, with an average of 21 minutes, and then Manchester, with an average of 20 minutes. Heathrow was 11th worst with 17 minutes and 24 seconds.
The airport recording the best punctuality performance was Belfast City, with an average delay of less than 12 minutes. Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said many holidaymakers “save all year” for their trips, so flight disruption can cause an “emotional toll” as people feel “their time and investment aren’t being respected”. She told the PA News Agency: “Passengers expect and deserve not to spend hours stuck in terminals with little information or support.
“Reliable service, clear communication and efficient operations should be the standard, not the exception, and airports must take this responsibility seriously. “This summer is set to be exceptionally busy, therefore it is essential airports and airlines do all they can to ensure consumer confidence to travel remains high.” A spokesperson for Gatwick said: “Air traffic control restrictions in other parts of Europe have continued to impact the airport.
“Together with our airlines, we’ve put in place a robust plan ...
to improve on-time performance further in 2025.” This includes using a new method to separate arriving aircraft, and trialling the co-ordination of connecting jet bridges to planes remotely, which are both designed to boost efficiency. The spokesperson added that Gatwick is “the world’s most efficient single-runway airport, with flights departing or arriving every 55 seconds”.
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