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Daily Record
Daily Record
Lifestyle
Neil Lancefield & Ian Jones & Jacob Rawley

The worst UK airports for flight delays as two Scottish hubs make top 10 list

The worst UK airports for travel delays have been revealed as two of Scotland's major travel hubs named among the top 10.

The already-frustrating airport experience is made no easier with unexpected delays, however many in the UK run more than 20 minutes behind schedule on average.

Edinburgh was the worst of the UK travel hubs, in joint seventh place with an average delay time of 24 minutes. It was followed by Aberdeen, in Joint tenth, which ran 21 minutes behind schedule on average.

The rankings were put together by the PA news agency, who analysed 2022 data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Glasgow Airport was not named among the top 10, but did place in the joint 15th spot. Its average delay time was just under 20 minutes, at 19th place.

Worst airport flight delays in UK

Edinburgh was Scotland's worst airport for flight delays (Derek Blair/AFP via Getty Images)
Rank Airport Delay time
1 Birmingham 30 minutes
=2 Manchester 29 minutes
=2 Doncaster Sheffield 29 minutes
4 Luton 28 minutes
5 Gatwick 27 minutes
6 Bristol 26 minutes
=7 Cardiff 24 minutes
=7 Edinburgh 24 minutes
9 Heathrow 22 minutes
=10 Newcastle 21 minutes
=10 Isle of Man 21 minutes
=10 Aberdeen 21 minutes
=13 Leeds Bradford 20 minutes
=13 Southend 20 minutes
=15 Glasgow 19 minutes
=15 Stansted 19 minutes
=15 Southampton 19 minutes
=15 Bournemouth 19 minutes

Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: "Your choice of airport shouldn't make or break your trip, but for too many travellers last year that was sadly their experience.

"A repeat of last year's chaos cannot be allowed to stand again, and airports and airlines must ensure they’re working together to ensure they can deliver their summer schedules as promised, while the Government must urgently grant the CAA the powers it needs to hold the industry to account."

The consumer group are campaigning to 'transform travel', urging the Secretary of State for Transport to reform the CAA, giving it "the tools and teeth" to hold travel firms to account.

CAA head of consumer Anna Bowles said: "Our data tells us that too many passengers faced disappointing levels of delays across UK airports last year.

"It is important consumers experience a high-quality service from both airlines and airports this year.

"We expect airlines to proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are disrupted."

The report comes not long after workers at Edinburgh, which is in joint seventh place, made the decision to ballot to strike over pay which could lead to summer holiday disruption.

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