The worst major UK airport for delays so far in 2025 has been revealed – and it’s not in London.
Analysing data from the Civil Aviation Authority, air passenger rights experts at AirAdvisor compared the airports with the best- and worst – punctuality, covering the first six months of 2025.
Manchester Airport, the third-busiest airport in the UK in terms of passengers, took the title after just 71.5 per cent of flights left on time.
This compares to the national average, where 77 per cent of flights from all UK airports were on time.
Between January and June of this year, 72.5 per cent of flights at Birmingham Airport were on time.
At London Stansted, this figure stood at 73.5 per cent, also below the national average.
Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor said: ‘The picture in terms of flight delays is definitely improving across the UK.
‘According to the CAA, only 72.5 per cent of UK flights in the first six months of 2024 were on time, so the leap to 77 per cent in the same time period this year, is a marked improvement.
The worst major UK airport for delays so far in 2025 has been revealed
Manchester Airport , the third-busiest airport in the UK in terms of passengers, took the title after just 71.5 per cent of flights left on time
UK’s top 10 worst major airports for delays in 2025 Manchester – 71.5 per cent flights on timeBirmingham International – 72.5 per centStansted and Bournemouth – 73.5 per centBristol – 74.5 per centTeeside – 75 per centNewcastle, Gatwick and Jersey – 75.5 per centExeter – 76 per centEdinburgh – 76.5 per centSouthampton – 76.5 per centCardiff – 77.5 per cent
‘In the years that followed the pandemic, flight delays rocketed to record highs due to airlines and airports struggling with staff shortages and supply chain issues that combined with a surge in demand for air travel.
‘Airlines, in particular, were caught between a rock and a hard place, because UK government legislation means that passengers can claim compensation if their flight is delayed due to a situation that an airline could have avoided.
‘So, in recent years especially, it’s been in airlines’ interest to do what they can to reduce flight delays – and rightly so, especially when you consider how much more expensive most flights are now, compared to say, ten years ago.
‘Likewise, airport managers want their hubs to be destinations where passengers begin happy journeys in a comfortable and stress-free manner. Because of this, they also work to keep delays as low as possible.’
However, it comes as Manchester Airport was the first hub to use a new border control technology featuring facial recognition for British passport holders during a trial.
Phil Douglas, Border Force director-general, told The Times how the trial had been a success, suggesting the tech ‘considerably reduced’ processing times.
He explained: ‘So people approach the e-gate, it recognises them [as] already on our database, and they’re checked through.’
Technology including biometrics and AI facial recognition is now used alongside documents like passports in a huge shift for border control methods, Phil shared.
It comes as Manchester Airport was the first hub to use a new border control technology featuring facial recognition for British passport holders during a trial
He said: ‘The border has really changed over the last few years and that work is picking up pace.
‘Public expectations have changed and technology has changed.
‘The Manchester pilot has shown that we can actually reduce transaction times considerably as well.’
The new ‘contactless gates’ are designed to increase the processing speed and bring the UK to the same standard as other countries already using similar technology, like Dubai.
Manchester AirportStansted Airport
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Revealed: The UK airport with the worst flight delays in 2025 – and over 30 million passengers travel through it every year
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