Birmingham Airport remain worst for flight delays
Analysis from last year has been released.
Birmingham airport was the worst in the UK for flight delays for a second year in a row, an investigation has found.
Departures from the West Midlands airport were half an hour behind schedule on average in 2022, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
That was more than twice as long as the previous year, when it was also ranked last for punctuality.
The airport said it is “running smoothly” this year.
Doncaster Sheffield – which closed in November – and Manchester airports had the joint second poorest punctuality records in 2022, with an average delay of 29 minutes.
East Midlands airport had the best performance, with an average delay of just 13 minutes.
The average across all airports was 23 minutes.
The analysis took into account all scheduled and chartered departures. Cancelled flights were not included.
When flights are significantly delayed, airlines are required under consumer laws to provide passengers with assistance, which can include refreshments, a means of communication and 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.
May and June were the worst months for flight reliability in 2022 as the aviation sector failed to recruit and train enough staff to cope with a surge in demand for holidays.
Some 10.3 million passengers travelled through Birmingham airport last year, making it the seventh busiest in the UK.
In addition to flight delays, many departing passengers were forced to spend several hours in long queues for check-in and security.
Around 50 airlines operate at the airport, such as Ryanair, Jet2.com, Tui Airways, Air France and Emirates.
A Birmingham airport spokesman said:
“The start of 2022 was devastated by Covid.
“After travel restrictions were lifted, the aviation industry fought hard to recover.
“This year, the first since 2020 not impacted by Covid, our airport is running smoothly with customers set to equal or exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
“Customers using Birmingham airport this summer can expect changes to walking routes as we build our £40 million new security hall, set to be ready for June 2024.”
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.”