London Gatwick is the UK’s worst airport for flight delays, official figures confirmed, with air visitors management points blamed for persevering with disruption.
In 2024, flights departed on common greater than 23 minutes late from Britain’s second-biggest airport, based on knowledge from the Civil Aviation Authority.
It makes the West Sussex airport’s document the least punctual within the UK for a second successive 12 months. At Birmingham and Manchester airports the typical delay was about 21 and 20 minutes respectively, based on evaluation by the PA Media information company.
Gatwick’s 2024 common delay was an enchancment from the earlier 12 months’s – 27 minutes – because the airport’s air visitors management (ATC) companies supplier, Nats, tackled workers shortages that had affected flights.
Whereas airways and airports throughout Europe have suffered disruption from ATC points, Nats workers shortages had additionally instantly affected Gatwick’s personal outsourced management tower.
A spokesperson for the airport, which hopes to virtually double its capability with a plan for a second runway awaiting authorities sign-off, stated that the tower staffing points had been totally resolved.
The airport has additionally managed to keep away from threatened disruption over the busy Easter weekend, with a strike by ground-handlers within the Unite union having “no operational impression” and inflicting no cancellations or important delays, the spokesperson stated.
The spokesperson added: “Air visitors management restrictions in different elements of Europe have continued to impression the airport.
“Along with our airways, we’ve put in place a strong plan … to enhance on-time efficiency additional in 2025.”
PA’s evaluation included scheduled and chartered departures from the 22 industrial UK airports with a minimum of 1,000 departures in 2024. Belfast Metropolis (George Finest) airport had the most effective punctuality efficiency, averaging a delay of lower than 12 minutes for every departing flight.
Total, UK flight delays improved final 12 months on common, chopping about 10% from the wait final 12 months, at 18 minutes and 24 seconds in contrast with 20 minutes and 42 seconds in 2023.
A spokesperson for the AirportsUK commerce physique stated: “Aviation continues to get better from the pandemic, and operates in an especially busy, world setting with resilience challenges.
“It’s due to this fact optimistic that the information exhibits delays proceed to come back down as everybody in aviation works collectively to offer the very best service to passengers.”
The CAA stated passengers ought to guarantee they know their entitlement to help throughout delays – together with foods and drinks, and probably compensation in some circumstances ought to flights be held up, although this largely applies just for delays of greater than three hours.
Selina Chadha, a director on the CAA, stated: “The trade works exhausting to make sure flights are punctual, however typically delays happen.
What’s essential to us is what airways and airports do to minimise disruption, in addition to adjust to their authorized obligations to take care of passengers if one thing occurs to their flight.”
