Birmingham Airport turned out to be the worst in the UK in terms of length of flight delays | UK News
Birmingham Airport has been ranked the worst in the UK for the length of its flight delays for the second year running.
Last year, passengers passing through the airport had to wait an average of half an hour after their flight’s scheduled departure time before it finally took off, according to an analysis of data from the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA).
That average delay is almost twice as long as in 2021, when West Midlands Airport – the seventh busiest in the country – also took last place.
Doncaster Sheffield, which closed last November, and Manchester shared second place in the rankings.
Both recorded average delays of 29 minutes.
On the other hand, the airport with the shortest average flight delay is a relatively short drive from the one with the longest.
East Midlands Airport, south of Nottingham and Derby, took an average of 13 minutes – still not ideal if you’re waiting to board, but much better than elsewhere.
At all UK airports, the average delay was 23 minutes.
A Birmingham Airport spokesman said: “The start of 2022 has been ravaged by Covid.
“After travel restrictions were lifted, the airline industry struggled hard to recover.
“This year, the first since 2020 not affected by Covid, our airport is running smoothly and customers are expected to match or exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
“Customers using Birmingham Airport this summer can expect changes in walking routes as we build our new £40m Concourse, due for completion by June 2024.”
The two airports on the list from Northern Ireland did relatively well, with Belfast International coming in 21st and Belfast City 22nd out of 26.
The three Scottish airports ranked seventh (Edinburgh), 10th (Aberdeen) and 15th (Glasgow), while Cardiff tied with Edinburgh for seventh as Wales’ only entry on the list.
The Complete List: Where is your nearest airport ranked?
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. South End (20 minutes)
=15. Glasgow (19 minutes)
=15. Stansted (19 minutes)
=15. Southampton (19 minutes)
=15. Bournemouth (19 minutes)
=19. London City (17 minutes)
=19. Jersey (17 minutes)
21. Belfast International (16 minutes)
=22. Liverpool John Lennon (15 minutes)
=22. Belfast City (15 minutes)
=24. Exeter (14 minutes)
=24. Teesside (14 minutes)
26. East Midlands (13 minutes)
When flights are significantly delayed, consumer protection laws oblige airlines to provide assistance to passengers, which may include refreshments, communications, and accommodation if needed.
If the cause of the disruption is under an airline’s control, passengers are also entitled to compensation of up to £520, depending on the length of the delay and distance of the flight.
CAA Consumer Lead Anna Bowles said: “Our data tells us that too many passengers have faced disappointing delays at UK airports over the past year.
“It is important that consumers experience quality service from both airlines and airports this year.
“We expect airlines to be proactive in informing passengers of their rights in the event of flight disruptions.”
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, Visit our news page.