The UK's worst airports for flight delays have been revealed, with Leeds Bradford among the top ten. New statistics show departures from West Midlands airport were an average of 12 minutes and 24 seconds late taking-off in 2021, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
And Southampton Airport had the second poorest record, followed by Heathrow, Exeter and Aberdeen airports. The unfortunate list takes into account scheduled departures and includes chartered flights too. But cancelled flights were not included in the research conducted by PA Media.
Leeds Bradford airport has one terminal and hosts airlines such as Jet2, TUI and Ryanair and features at number 10 on the list of worst airports. A spokesman for Birmingham Airport, sitting at the top of the list said: "Last year was a dark time for aviation when Birmingham Airport was reduced to just 25% of normal resource and capacity due to Covid. Due to the unique operating environment caused by massive air traffic reductions, the usual pressures did not exist, so flights taking off late were able to catch up en route."
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Getting away on time across all UK airports in 2021 was better than before the pandemic largely due to travel restrictions meaning there were less flights. Jo Rhodes, an expert for consumer magazine Which? Travel, said 2022 "has been a different story entirely" as the sector is struggling to cope with the spike in passenger numbers.
She added: "Holidaymakers have endured wide-scale flight cancellations as well as unacceptably long queues at check-in, bag drop and airport security. The Government must take action to restore consumer confidence in travel.
"That should involve stronger powers for the CAA, including the ability to fine airlines directly when they break the law. Ministers should also drop their ill-conceived plans to slash compensation rates for delayed or cancelled domestic flights."
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps published a 22-point plan to deal with the issue of flight disruption. It included encouraging airlines to be realistic about make a "deliverable" schedule as well as having an amnesty on airport slot rules and permitting new airport staff to start training while they're waiting for their security checks to complete.
British Airways and easyJet have abandoned thousands of flights and many are worried it will lead to chaos during the peak school holiday season. Schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland have already broken up for summer, but the academic year for those in England and Wales carries on for a further two weeks.
Full ranking of UK airports based on flight punctuality in 2021
1. Birmingham (12 minutes and 24 seconds)
2. Southampton (12 minutes)
3. Heathrow (11 minutes and 48 seconds)
4. Exeter (11 minutes and 12 seconds)
5. Aberdeen (10 minutes and 36 seconds)
6. Doncaster Sheffield (10 minutes and 18 seconds)
7. Luton (nine minutes and 42 seconds)
8. Manchester (nine minutes and 30 seconds)
9. Glasgow (eight minutes and 30 seconds)
10. Leeds Bradford (seven minutes and 42 seconds)
11. Newcastle (seven minutes and 24 seconds)
12. Bournemouth (seven minutes and 18 seconds)
13. Edinburgh (seven minutes and 12 seconds)
14. Liverpool (John Lennon) (seven minutes and six seconds)
15. Cardiff (six minutes and 48 seconds)
16. London City (six minutes and 12 seconds)
17. Bristol (six minutes and six seconds)
18. Stansted (six minutes)
19. East Midlands International (six minutes)
20. Gatwick (five minutes and 54 seconds)
21. Belfast City (George Best) (four minutes and 54 seconds)
22. Teesside International (four minutes and 48 seconds)
23. Belfast International (four minutes and 30 seconds)
24. Southend (two minutes and 48 seconds)
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