Gatwick, Luton and Heathrow flight delays revealed in full list of UK airport times

New data reveals which UK airports rank the worst for flight delays. Manchester Airport took the spot as the worst in the nation for flight delays, sparking a warning that passengers cannot book flights from there “with any real confidence”. The northern airport is England's third busiest but departures were an average of 19-and-a-half minutes behind schedule in 2025, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the Press Association. Despite this time being an improvement from previous years the delays were still longer than any other airport. Flight delays are often caused by issues outside the control of airports, such as air traffic control (ATC) disruption and bad weather . Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said the choice of airport “shouldn’t make or break your trip” but “too many holidays got off to a terrible start last year”. He added: “ Manchester Airport has ranked last in our airport survey for four consecutive years and these new CAA figures validate why this is a particularly poor place to be stranded during delays. “For passengers already wary of travel uncertainty, seeing such consistent underperformance makes it difficult to book with any real confidence.” Birmingham Airport had the second poorest flight punctuality last year, with an average delay of 18 minutes and 42 seconds. In third place was Bournemouth Airport (17 minutes and 18 seconds). Just around the corner from Manchester, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, had the most punctual flights, recording an average delay of just nine minutes and 24 seconds. Cancellations were not included in the analysis, that took into account scheduled and chartered departures from the 23 commercial UK airports with at least 1,000 outbound flights last year. Overall, the average delay for departures last year was 14 minutes and 54 seconds, down from 18 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024. Manchester is the UK’s only two-runway airport other than Heathrow, and was used by 32 million passengers last year. Its scheme to revamp Terminal 3 is ongoing, while a 10-year £1.3 billion transformation which included modernising and doubling the size of Terminal 2, and closing Terminal 1, was recently completed. A spokesperson for the airport said: “Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport’s control. “The two most significant factors contributing to delays in the last year have been industrial action affecting air traffic control in Europe, and the weather. “These were exacerbated by airspace restrictions above conflict zones meaning airports with significant long-haul networks, like Manchester, were more significantly affected than others. “As an industry we are working collectively to achieve the best possible on-time departure rates, while protecting flight schedules and avoiding the need for cancellations.” A spokesman for Bournemouth Airport said the reason for delays are outside its control “in the majority of cases”, and it is “one of the UK’s top-ranked regional airports for passenger satisfaction”. Depending on the amount of time delayed and the distance of the route, passengers are entitled to a reasonable amount of food and drink, a means to communicate and overnight accommodation if required. This is often not provided by airlines when major delays are impacting several customers. Passengers may also be able to claim compensation of up to £520 from the airline if the reason for the delay is deemed within its control, which could be a fault with the aircraft or pilot sickness. ATC issues are considered to be an “extraordinary circumstance”, meaning affected passengers are not entitled to payouts. Anna Bowles, head of consumer at the CAA, urged the aviation industry to be “focused on delivering punctual and reliable journeys for passengers wherever possible” as she warned that delays have a “real impact for people heading off on holidays”. She added: “When disruption occurs, how the industry responds really matters. “Passengers should be kept informed and given the care and support they are entitled to.” A spokesperson for trade body AirportsUK said passengers are “benefitting from improvements in the service they receive”, and delays in 2025 were “down significantly on the previous year”. The full breakdown is below: 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 (15 minutes and 48 seconds) =7. Leeds Bradford (15 minutes and 36 seconds) =7. Stansted (15 minutes and 36 seconds) 9. Edinburgh (15 minutes and 24 seconds) 10. Teesside (15 minutes and six seconds) =11. Cardiff (14 minutes and 54 seconds) =11. Exeter (14 minutes and 54 seconds) 13. Bristol (14 minutes and 36 seconds) =14. London City (14 minutes and 12 seconds) =14. Luton (14 minutes and 12 seconds) 16. Heathrow (12 minutes and 42 seconds) 17. Belfast International (12 minutes and 24 seconds) =18. Glasgow (12 minutes and six seconds) =18. Belfast City (12 minutes and six 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 (Nine minutes and 24 seconds)