The summer holidays are here, and many families will be hoping to head off for a break. But with reports of airport disruption in recent months, our handy interactive lets you explore the delays and cancellations you might face by airline and destination.
Data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) shows one in five flights (19.5%) leaving UK airports took off later than planned in the year to April 2022 (the most recent figures available). The average delay was 11 minutes.
However, some flights were more likely to be delayed than others and some delays were much longer.
READ MORE: Belfast Airport chief says passenger confidence 'high' despite cancellations
Travelling soon? Check the average delay of your flight using our gadget below:
At Belfast City (George Best) Airport, the Loganair flight to Aberdeen was the most likely to be delayed, with 26% of the 261 flights that took off in the year to April running at least 15 minutes late. The average delay for the flight was 23 minutes, and 2.7% of flights were cancelled in the 12 months.
Flights leaving Belfast City (George Best) Airport most likely to be delayed for 15 minutes of more
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO ABERDEEN IN UNITED KINGDOM - LOGANAIR LTD - 26%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO SOUTHAMPTON IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASTERN AIRWAYS - 19.1%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO EXETER IN UNITED KINGDOM - BA CITYFLYER LTD - 13%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO HEATHROW IN UNITED KINGDOM - BRITISH AIRWAYS PLC - 12.8%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO AMSTERDAM IN NETHERLANDS - KLM - 12.6%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO PALMA DE MALLORCA IN SPAIN - RYANAIR - 12%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO MALAGA IN SPAIN - RYANAIR - 9.3%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO BIRMINGHAM IN UNITED KINGDOM - BA CITYFLYER LTD - 8%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO INVERNESS IN UNITED KINGDOM - LOGANAIR LTD - 7.9%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO EDINBURGH IN UNITED KINGDOM - AER LINGUS - 6.5%
Those heading to Aberdeen on Loganair also faced the longest waits on average.
Longest average delays at Belfast City (George Best) Airport
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO ABERDEEN IN UNITED KINGDOM - LOGANAIR LTD - 23 minutes
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO SOUTHAMPTON IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASTERN AIRWAYS - 12 minutes
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO EXETER IN UNITED KINGDOM - BA CITYFLYER LTD - 8 minutes
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO HEATHROW IN UNITED KINGDOM - BRITISH AIRWAYS PLC - 7 minutes
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO CARDIFF WALES IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASTERN AIRWAYS - 7 minutes
The other risk is your flight not being delayed but cancelled. The route most likely to be cancelled at Belfast City (George Best) Airport is Aer Lingus to Leeds Bradford, with one in 11 (9.2%) cancelled in the year to April.
Routes from Belfast City (George Best) Airport most likely to be cancelled
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO LEEDS BRADFORD IN UNITED KINGDOM - AER LINGUS - 9.2%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO CARDIFF WALES IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASTERN AIRWAYS - 6.6%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO BIRMINGHAM IN UNITED KINGDOM - BA CITYFLYER LTD - 3.2%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO BIRMINGHAM IN UNITED KINGDOM - AER LINGUS - 3.2%
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) TO SOUTHAMPTON IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASTERN AIRWAYS - 3.1%
At Belfast International Airport, the Easyjet Europe flight to Palma De Mallorca in Spain was the most likely to be delayed, with 25.7% of the 76 flights that took off in the year to April running at least 15 minutes late. The average delay for the flight was 15 minutes, and 1.3% of flights were cancelled in the 12 months.
Flights leaving Belfast International Airport most likely to be delayed for 15 minutes of more
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO PALMA DE MALLORCA IN SPAIN - EASYJET EUROPE - 25.7%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO AMSTERDAM IN NETHERLANDS - EASYJET UK LTD - 23.8%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO GENEVA IN SWITZERLAND - EASYJET UK LTD - 22%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO PARIS (CHARLES DE GAULLE) IN FRANCE - EASYJET UK LTD - 21.7%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO FARO IN PORTUGAL(EXCLUDING MADEIRA) - EASYJET UK LTD - 18.7%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO MALAGA IN SPAIN - EASYJET UK LTD - 16.7%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO LUTON IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASYJET UK LTD - 16.6%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO TENERIFE (SURREINA SOFIA) IN SPAIN(CANARY ISLANDS) - EASYJET UK LTD - 15.2%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO MALAGA IN SPAIN - RYANAIR - 14%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO PALMA DE MALLORCA IN SPAIN - JET2.COM LTD - 13.8%
Those heading to Geneva in Switzerland on Easyjet UK face the longest waits on average. In the year to April the average delay on the 59 flights leaving Belfast International Airport was 18 minutes, with 22% of flights delayed for more than 15 minutes.
Longest average delays at Belfast International Airport
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO GENEVA IN SWITZERLAND - EASYJET UK LTD - 18 minutes
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO PALMA DE MALLORCA IN SPAIN - EASYJET EUROPE - 15 minutes
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO PARIS (CHARLES DE GAULLE) IN FRANCE - EASYJET UK LTD - 11 minutes
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO AMSTERDAM IN NETHERLANDS - EASYJET UK LTD - 11 minutes
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO FARO IN PORTUGAL(EXCLUDING MADEIRA) - EASYJET UK LTD - 10 minutes
The other risk is your flight not being delayed but cancelled. The route most likely to be cancelled at Belfast International Airport is Easyjet Europe to Palma De Mallorca in Spain, with one in 76 (1.3%) cancelled in the year to April.
Routes from Belfast International Airport most likely to be cancelled
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO PALMA DE MALLORCA IN SPAIN - EASYJET EUROPE - 1.3%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO EDINBURGH IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASYJET UK LTD - 0.3%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO MANCHESTER IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASYJET UK LTD - 0.3%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO GATWICK IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASYJET UK LTD - 0.1%
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TO LUTON IN UNITED KINGDOM - EASYJET UK LTD - 0.1%
As things have started to recover after the pandemic put pay to holidays abroad, flying has been a potentially fraught experience with queues, delays and cancellations. The Easter holidays, which are included in these figures, saw long queues at bag drop and security at several airports, as well as delays and cancelled flights.
The proportion of flights delayed for more than 15 minutes leaving UK airports in April this year was 32.9%, compared to 22.0% in March. At the same time the average delay rose from 12 minutes in March, comparable to the average of 11 minutes across the whole year, to 18 minutes in April.
Air Algerie, which flies from Heathrow to Algiers in Algeria, was the airline most likely to be delayed more than 15 minutes, with 71.4% of flights running late in the year to April 2022. Of airlines that have featured in coverage of airport disruption - 30.8% of British Airways flights were delayed, as were 38.8% of Wizz Air flights, but 18.3% of Ryanair UK flights and just 12.6% of EasyJet UK flights.
Travellers on Jordan Aviation, which primarily flies to Islamabad in Pakistan from airports across England, face the longest average delays at 48 minutes.
Airports and airlines, which cut jobs during lockdowns, have struggled to recruit staff as demand for holidays has returned, with problems blamed on the resulting shortage of staff. Heathrow Airport has since put a cap of 100,000 passengers in place for the summer holidays, 4,000 fewer than was scheduled, saying this was the maximum number airlines, airline ground handlers and the airport can serve.
The record breaking temperatures this week have added an extra complication - flight delays and cancellations due to melting runways. As well as this several airlines at Heathrow Airport could face disruption due to refuelling staff striking between 5am on Thursday (July 21) and 4:59am on Sunday (July 24).
Around one in 100 flights (1.1%) were cancelled in April, the same proportion as across the year as a whole, with cancellations peaking at 2.8% in February. Flights operated by Wideroe Flyveselskap, which flies to airports in Norway, were the most likely to be cancelled, with 9.3% not taking off as planned.
The figures are based on the CAA’s flight punctuality statistics for the year to April 2022. The data excludes routes where less than 50 flights have taken off.
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