Gatwick Airport ranked UK's worst airport for delays

The second busiest airport in the UK was badly affected by air traffic control staff shortages so that flights were an average of nearly 27 minutes behind schedule in 2023.

The airport said in a statement it is “working closely with our airline partners to improve on-time performance”.

A plane taking off from Gatwick Airport (Image: Gareth Fuller / PA)

Luton Airport and Manchester had delays of just over 20 minutes.

Belfast City airport was the best in the UK with a typical delay of 12 and a half minutes.

The average delay for flights across all airports was almost 20 minutes and 42 seconds, down from 23 minutes and 12 seconds in 2022, when the aviation sector struggled to cope with a surge in demand for holidays following the end of coronavirus travel restrictions.

A chart showing the longest average delay for departures in 2023 (Image: PA)

The analysis by the PA news agency took into account all scheduled and chartered departures from the 22 commercial UK airports with at least 1,000 outbound flights last year.

Cancellations were not included.

Naomi Leach, deputy editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: “It’s clear from these latest figures that millions of passengers continued to experience unacceptably long hold-ups last year.

“This cannot be allowed to become the new normal.”

Planes on the ground at Gatwick Airport

Civil Aviation Authority director Tim Johnson said it is vital the aviation sector “focuses on resilience” ahead of the summer holiday period to “keep passenger disruption to a minimum”.

He added: “Where people do find themselves facing disruption, we want them to be well-informed about the duty of care that they are entitled to.”

When flights are significantly delayed or cancelled, airlines are required under consumer laws to provide passengers with assistance such as refreshments, a means of communication and overnight accommodation if required.

If the cause of disruption is under an airline’s control, passengers are also due compensation of up to £520 depending on the length of the delay and the distance of the flight.

But air traffic control issues are generally considered to be an “extraordinary circumstance”, meaning affected passengers are not entitled to payouts.

Planes on the ground at Gatwick

A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said: “As the most efficient single runway airport in the world, we aim to deliver a seamless passenger experience.

“The majority of cancellations are caused by poor weather, airspace constraints across Europe and inefficient third party ground operations.

“We are working closely with our airline partners to improve on-time performance.

“In addition, we have published a six-year capital investment programme setting out significant improvements to develop and enhance infrastructure and facilities to build the resilience of the airport.”

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Gatwick imposed a temporary cap on flights in September 2023 in an attempt to reduce the number of short-notice cancellations and delays due to staff shortages in its ATC tower.

A spokesperson for trade body the Airport Operators Association said: “Airports work extremely hard to minimise delays while providing a positive, safe and secure experience for passengers.

“These figures do not provide any of the context around operating in a global environment and do not give the travelling public a clear picture of how air travel operates.”