Gatwick Airport once again named UK's worst for flight delays

The data is an improvement for Gatwick from nearly 27 minutes in the previous 12 months but it is still longer than at any other domestic airport, said the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It makes the West Sussex airport’s record the least punctual in the UK for a second successive year.

In response, A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “London Gatwick is proud to be the world’s most efficient single-runway airport, with flights departing or arriving every 55 seconds, serving around 220 global destinations.

“In the summer peak we can handle more than 900 aircraft a day. In 2024, 59 per cent of flights took off on time, with On Time Performance (OTP) improving by four per cent compared to 2023. However, air traffic control restrictions in other parts of Europe have continued to impact the airport.

"Together with our airlines, we’ve put in place a robust plan – including the use of new technology such as our innovative Smart Stand – to improve OTP further in 2025.

“We are also the world’s first single-runway airport to adopt NATS’ new Intelligent Approach, providing a new way to separate aircraft landing at London Gatwick. Arriving aircraft are now separated by dynamically calculated time-based intervals, instead of traditional set distances, improving efficiency, reducing delays and boosting resilience.”

Selina Chadha – director for the consumer and markets group at the Civil Aviation Authority – said the industry ‘works hard to ensure flights are punctual’ but ‘sometimes delays occur’.

She added: “What is important to us is what airlines and airports do to minimise disruption, as well as comply with their legal obligations to look after passengers if something happens to their flight.

“We also advise consumers to ensure they know what assistance they are entitled to if they face a lengthy delay - our website and social media channels have lots of information and advice including how to check if any compensation is due.”

The Civil Aviation Authority figures showed Birmingham airport had the second poorest delay record in 2024, with an average of more than 21 minutes, followed by Manchester at 20 minutes. The average delay for all UK flights last year was 18 minutes and 24 seconds, down from 20 minutes and 42 seconds in 2023.

While airlines and airports across Europe have suffered disruption from ATC issues, Nats staff shortages had also directly affected Gatwick’s own outsourced control tower.

A spokesperson for the airport, which hopes to almost double its capacity with a plan for a second runway awaiting government sign-off, said that the tower staffing issues were fully resolved.

The airport also managed to avoid threatened disruption over the busy Easter weekend, with a strike by ground-handlers in the Unite union having ‘no operational impact’ and causing no cancellations or significant delays, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added: “Air traffic control restrictions in other parts of Europe have continued to impact the airport. Together with our airlines, we’ve put in place a robust plan … to improve on-time performance further in 2025.”

Belfast City (George Best) airport recorded the best punctuality performance in the UK for the second year in a row, with a typical delay per flight of less than 12 minutes.

The analysis took into account scheduled and chartered departures from the 22 commercial UK airports with at least 1,000 outbound flights last year. Cancellations were not included.

The CAA acknowledged that unforeseen events such as severe weather conditions, technical issues, or other extraordinary circumstances beyond airports and airlines control may impact flight schedules. Disruptions do not necessarily reflect the long-term performance or reliability of the airline or airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority website has ‘Know Before You Go’ consumer tips and advice to help passengers if their flight is delayed: https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers-and-public/passenger-guidance/know-before-you-go/