Wizz Air has been named the worst major airline for flight delays in the UK for the second year in a row, according to an investigation.
The Hungarian carrier reportedly saw an average of 46 minutes and six seconds behind schedule for UK departures in 2022, as revealed by PA news agency's analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data. On average, this was three times longer than what was recorded in the previous year where Wizz Air also ranked the lowest.
The data has been labelled as "worrying" by the consumer group Which? and demonstrates the 'need' for the CAA to be provided tougher powers. Across the country, Wizz Air operates short-haul flights from eight UK airports such as Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, and Luton.
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Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “These figures are worrying, but will be no surprise to passengers who’ve had to endure shoddy treatment from airlines for years. With a regulator still lacking the appropriate powers to punish airlines who break the law, including withholding refunds, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that some carriers are simply getting away with leaving passengers high and dry.
“To better protect passengers, the Government must give the CAA effective powers to clamp down on poor airline behaviour, which includes the ability to hand out hefty fines when they continually flout the law.”
Meanwhile, Tui was recorded as the second worst punctual last year, with an average delay of 40 minutes and 18 seconds and was followed by Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Pegasus Airlines. The best performer was Norwegian Air Shuttle which recorded an average delay of just 13 minutes and 42 seconds.
The analysis examines all scheduled and chartered departures from UK airports by airlines with more than 2,500 flights while not including cancelled flights. CAA consumer director Paul Smith claimed “too many passengers faced disappointing levels of delays” last year.
He added: “The CAA has regularly asked for stronger consumer enforcement powers, including the ability to impose fines on airlines. When things do go wrong, we expect airlines to proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are disrupted, as well as offer timely support and assistance.
“We’ve already raised concerns about Wizz Air and are working closely with the airline to improve outcomes for consumers.”
In December 2022, the CAA reported 'significant concerns' over Wizz Air delaying refunds while also noting that its passengers were more likely to make escalated complaints when compared to other airlines. A spokesman for trade body Airlines UK said: “The whole industry knows how important punctuality is for customers.
“Last year was not representative due to the late unwinding of Covid restrictions which required a very steep ramp up. Since then, the sector has invested huge resources into increased resilience for this summer and we can’t wait to welcome people back for their well-earned breaks.”
Wizz Air did not respond to a request for comment from the PA News Agency.
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