Revealed: The UK airports with the longest delays

New research has revealed the UK airports facing the longest delays, with Aberdeen coming out on top. 

The study by Tripplo.com analysed the latest data from the Civil Aviation Authority to see which airports were experiencing the longest delays on average. 

• Aberdeen faces the longest delays of any UK airport on average
• Isle of Man Airport and Gatwick come second and third, respectively

It found that Aberdeen, on average, sees the longest delays of any UK airport, with an average delay of 20.70 minutes with 6,757 flights studied, which is over four minutes longer than any other airport. The latest data from December 2023 shows that the average delay that month was 26.04 minutes. 

Second place on the list goes to Isle of Man Airport, also known as Ronaldsway Airport. It sees average delays of 16.22 minutes for 2,391 flights studied. In December 2023, there were average delays of 22.53 minutes.

Third place goes to the UK’s second busiest airport, London Gatwick. It comes in with an average delay of 15.47 minutes for 58,762 flights studied in 2023. December 2023 data showed the average delay that month to be 24.31 minutes.

Manchester Airport comes in fourth place on the list, which saw average delays of 14.02 minutes in 2023. This is for a total of 39,771 flights that were studied. Data from December showed the average delay that month to be 21.63 minutes.

Rounding out the top five is another London airport in Luton, which saw an average delay of 13.58 minutes for 23,156 flights studied. December data showed the average delay that month to be 19.76 minutes.

 Source: Civil Aviation Authority, Flight Punctuality Statistics