Glasgow Airport recorded a delay rate of 36.3 per cent in July – a notable 14 percentage points lower than Edinburgh, despite handling a broadly comparable volume of passengers.
Edinburgh Airport(Image: Emily Macinnes/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Edinburgh Airport has been revealed as one of the worst airports in the UK for delays in July, according to new analysis.
The new study from Locals Insider took Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data from the past four Julys (2022–25), and analysed more than 700,000 flights across UK airports to identify where passengers are most likely to face disruption during the peak summer holiday period.
It found that 50.3 per cent of flights departing Edinburgh in July were delayed by more than 15 minutes – the third highest proportion of any UK airport and one of only three airports in the study where more than half of all July flights run late.
Gatwick Airport topped the leaderboard with 57.4 per cent, while Manchester (51.1%) and Luton (48.2%) also featured prominently.
Glasgow Airport recorded a delay rate of 36.3 per cent in July – a notable 14 percentage points lower than Edinburgh, despite handling a broadly comparable volume of passengers.
Aberdeen performed better still, recording a delay rate of just 30.1 per cent – the second lowest of any airport in the entire study.
Belfast City Airport held the best figures of the analysis (29.2%), while Liverpool John Lennon (30.6%) also sat in the top three best performers.
Spokesperson for Locals Insider, Martin Danemaq, said: “Edinburgh is Scotland’s busiest airport and a major gateway for summer holidays, so a delay rate of more than half of all July flights is a notable finding for passengers in the region.
“The data covers four consecutive Julys, suggesting this is a consistent pattern rather than an isolated bad year.
“What’s particularly striking is the contrast with Aberdeen and Glasgow, both of which record significantly lower delay rates during July.
“For passengers in Scotland with flexibility over their departure airport, the data paints a very different picture depending on which one they use.”
Edinburgh Airport has been approached for comment.