Manchester Airport has defended its record after data showed it had the highest number of delayed flights among major UK airports in the first half of 2025, with fewer than three-quarters of flights leaving on schedule.
Amy Jones Lifestyle & Features Writer
14:00, 13 Nov 2025Updated 14:00, 13 Nov 2025
Manchester Airport was ranked as the worst for flight delays across major UK airports(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Manchester Airport has hit back with a robust defence after being named the worst major UK airport for flight delays so far this year.
Research of Civil Aviation Authority data compiled by AirAdvisor revealed that only 71.5 per cent of departures at the travel hub left on time during the first six months of 2025. This performance lags significantly behind the 77 per cent national average.
Manchester Airport, which is the largest in the UK outside London, has rejected the findings as “misleading to passengers”, insisting that multiple factors causing flight delays are outside its influence. These encompass problems including adverse weather conditions, cabin crew shortages, arriving flight delays and air traffic control staffing issues.
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
Manchester Airport issued a statement following the revealing data(Image: Getty Images)
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “The punctuality of flights can be affected by a number of factors, most of which are outside of an airport’s control. These include inclement weather, airline crew shortages, delays to inbound flights, and even things like continental air traffic control issues including capacity restrictions and industrial action.
“As such, it is inherently misleading to passengers to imply a link between airports and delays – although periodically we do see companies doing this in order to promote themselves and sell particular products or services. In reality, passengers can feel assured that the vast majority of flights that leave Manchester Airport do so on time.”
In turn, it claimed that the airport’s scale and route network can affect the statistics for delayed flights. As Britain’s biggest airport aside from London, Manchester connects to over 200 destinations across the globe, with numerous long-haul services starting from places like the Middle East and Asia.
These international flights will take off from their home nations, arrive at Manchester and then return. This means any hold-ups at their starting point trigger a knock-on effect on Manchester’s schedule, which subsequently shows up in the CAA data, the airport’s spokesperson continued.
Flight disruptions are made worse by air traffic control staff shortages throughout Europe, plus airspace limitations in Russia, the Middle East and Pakistan – all issues outside the airport’s influence. Yet there’s some positive news, as the figures show improvement from last year, when just 69.5 per cent of Manchester Airport flights left punctually.
Manchester Airport is the largest outside of London(Image: Getty Images)
Following closely behind Manchester Airport in the rankings is Birmingham International, with 72.5 per cent of flights departing on time, while Stansted and Bournemouth Airports share third place with a 73.5 per cent record. The CAA, which collects punctuality data from 25 UK airports, classifies a flight as ‘on time’ if it leaves or arrives at the gate within 15 minutes of its scheduled time.
The top 10 major airports with the worst delays in 2025, according to AirAdvisor, are listed below:
- Manchester – 71.5 per cent of flights were on time
- Birmingham International – 72.5 per cent
- Stansted and Bournemouth – 73.5 per cent
- Bristol – 74.5 per cent
- Teeside – 75 per cent
- Newcastle, Gatwick and Jersey – 75.5 per cent
- Exeter – 76 per cent
- Edinburgh – 76.5 per cent
- Southampton – 76.5 per cent
- Cardiff – 77.5 per cent