Ranked: Britain’s 10 worst airports for flight delays

Published

6 months ago

April 21, 2025

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Gatwick is the UK’s worst airport for flight delays for the second year running, according to new data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

After suffering from continued air traffic control (ATC) disruptions, departures from the West Sussex airport were delayed by more than 23 minutes on average in 2024.

In 2023, its flights were delayed by nearly 27 minutes – so the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, has seen an improvement.

A spokesperson said the airport had a “robust plan” to improve things further in 2025, including a new method to separate arriving aircraft, and trialling the co-ordination of connecting jet bridges to planes remotely.

They said Gatwick remains “the world’s most efficient single-runway airport, with flights departing or arriving every 55 seconds”.

Gatwick was badly impacted by ATC staff shortages both in Europe and in its own control tower last year, which a 2024 report by the Royal Aeronautical Society suggested may be in part due to the pandemic.

It said staffing was reduced because of a downturn in traffic during lockdowns, and recruiting and training new ATC workers can take up to three years.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said passengers should expect better than “stuck in terminals” for hours “with little information or support”.

UK’s top ten worst airports for delays – ranked

10 – Cardiff Airport

Cardiff had average delays of 17 minutes and 36 seconds.

9 – Luton Airport

Luton recorded average delays of 17 minutes and 42 seconds in 2024.

That was an improvement on the year before, with the airport recording delays of nearly 23 minutes in 2023.

8 – Bournemouth Airport

Bournemouth also saw an improvement.

Despite recording average delays of 17 minutes and 48 seconds, it saw around a two-and-a-half minute improvement on the year before.

7 – Edinburgh Airport

Scotland’s busiest airport had average delays of 18 minutes and six seconds in 2024.

That was an improvement of nearly three-and-a-half minutes from the 12 months previous.

6 – Exeter Airport

Exeter, on the other hand, saw growing delays in 2024.

Last year’s data showed average delays of 15 minutes and 42 seconds at the airport.

In 2024, that figure jumped to 19 minutes.

5 – Teesside International Airport

Teesside also recorded longer delays of around two minutes on average.

In 2024, its departing flights were delayed by an average of 19 minutes and six seconds.

4 – Stansted Airport

Stansted recorded average delays of 19 minutes and 36 seconds in 2024, a 30-second increase on the previous year.

3 – Manchester Airport

The UK’s third-busiest airport came third on the list with average delays of 20 minutes last year.

In 2023, its delays were longer by nearly two minutes.

2 – Birmingham Airport

Birmingham saw delays of 21 minutes and 18 seconds.

Despite moving up the list, it improved its delay time by 12 seconds on the year before.

1 – Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport recorded delays of 23 minutes and 18 seconds, an improvement of over three minutes and 36 seconds.

At the other end of the table…

Belfast City airport recorded the best punctuality in the UK for the second year in a row.

Its typical delay per flight was less than 12 minutes.

The average delay for flights from major UK airports was 18 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024, down from 20 minutes and 42 seconds in 2023.

“Aviation continues to recover from the pandemic, and operates in an extremely busy, global environment with resilience challenges,” said a spokesperson for trade body AirportsUK.

“It is therefore positive that the data shows delays continue to come down as everyone in aviation works together to provide the best possible service to passengers.”

UK

Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

Published

11 hours ago

October 12, 2025

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Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of two children in Stafford.

Police were called to a home on Corporation Street at around 7.30am on Sunday by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Two children were pronounced dead at the scene, Staffordshire Police said.

Detective Inspector Kirsty Oldfield said: “We are working hard to understand more about what happened leading up to these two children tragically losing their lives.

“We ask that people do not speculate at this stage as it is distressing for family and friends and could hinder our inquiries.

“We understand that this incident may cause concern in the local community. We don’t believe there is wider threat to the public at this time.”

The 43-year-old woman, who is from the Stafford area, remains in custody.

The force has not confirmed the ages of the two children. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers, police said.

UK

Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

Published

12 hours ago

October 12, 2025

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Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

A man has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family.

Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton, south London, was arrested last Monday, but it was only made public on Sunday.

He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody, the Met Police said.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between June and October.

Sir Ed, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, lives in southwest London with his wife, Emily, their 17-year-old son John, and his younger sister Ellie.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife.

“He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 October and was remanded into custody. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, 14 October.

“He was arrested on Monday, 6 October in relation to the offences, which are alleged to have taken place between June and October.”

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “We cannot provide any details at this time, Ed’s number one priority is the safety of his family.”

UK

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

Published

23 hours ago

October 12, 2025

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Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.

Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.

He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.

West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.

The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.

A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.

Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.

He was sentenced in December 2013 to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.

He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.

At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.

Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.

A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.

When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.

After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, he told a court that he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.