The worst airlines for UK flight delays revealed

Daily Mail​

26-05-2025

If you've ever found yourself staring at a departure board wondering why your flight still hasn't taken off, you're not alone - and now it's been revealed which airline is most likely to leave you stranded.
A new study, compiled by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has uncovered the worst offenders for flight delays from UK airports, and one airline is leading for all the wrong reasons.
Air India has been named the UK's most delayed airline, with passengers experiencing an average departure delay of nearly 46 minutes throughout 2024.
The worst performing route was Air India's Gatwick to Bangalore service, which ran an average of more than 80 minutes late across 50 departures - making it the most delayed UK route overall.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, described the airline's performance as 'completely unacceptable.'
Air India, which operates from Birmingham, Gatwick, and Heathrow to major Indian destinations such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, said the disruption was 'primarily due to factors beyond our control.'
A spokesperson added: 'Proactive operational initiatives like self-check-in, baggage drop and automated boarding process have ensured smoother airport touchpoint experience and faster turnaround of aircraft, boosting on-time departures.
'The deployment of the new Airbus A350 and upgraded B787-9 aircraft on some of the UK routes has also helped enhance punctuality of our flight operations.
'Over the first three months of 2025, Air India's on-time performance has seen significant improvement on our direct flights from the UK to India, which also reflects on our NPS (customer satisfaction) scores.'
The airline, acquired by Tata Group in 2022 after years of financial struggles and operational inefficiencies, has faced mounting pressure to restore reliability.
Aviation analyst John Strickland said the carrier is still 'coming out of this period of malaise,' noting prevalent issues such as a shortage of spare parts and grounded aircraft caused by lack of funds.
He added: 'You can have great meals and a great crew, but fundamentally you've got to operate an airline which is as punctual and reliable as possible. That's definitely a work in progress for them.'
Meanwhile, Guernsey-based Aurigny Air Services ranked second-worst in the study, with an average delay of 31 minutes and 12 seconds.
Turkish low-cost carrier SunExpress followed closely behind at 29 minutes and 36 seconds, while Air Portugal recorded average delays of 25 minutes and 12 seconds.
On the flip side, Irish airline Emerald Airlines had the best on-time performance from UK airports, with average delays of just 10 minutes and 30 seconds.
The CAA analysis considered airlines that operated over 2,500 scheduled or chartered departures from the UK last year. Cancelled flights were excluded from the study.
Turkish low-cost carrier SunExpress (pictured) followed closely behind at 29 minutes and 36 seconds, while Air Portugal recorded average delays of 25 minutes and 12 seconds
The overall average delay across all qualifying airlines dropped to 18 minutes and 18 seconds in 2024, down from 20 minutes and 42 seconds the year before.
UK passengers who experience significant delays may be entitled to assistance, including food, drinks, overnight accommodation and even financial compensation of up to £520, depending on the cause and length of the delay.
To qualify, delays must arise from issues within the airline's control, such as mechanical faults or crew shortages.
Anna Bowles, head of consumers at the CAA, urged airlines to 'uphold high standards of service and reliability.'
She added: 'While the majority of airlines have made progress in reducing delays, with the average falling, delays can cause significant disruption and inconvenience to passengers.
'Delays occur for many reasons, and we fully expect that airlines minimise the impact by providing timely information and upholding passengers' rights when it applies.'
Elsewhere, a new survey has revealed which airlines have the best and worst food for passengers.
Emirates has the best snacks and drinks and the best inflight meals, according to the survey by YouGov: Self-serve, which found that 84 per cent of passengers rate the airline's snacks and drinks positively while 85 per cent are impressed with the meals.
Nearly half (43 per cent) of those surveyed rated the airline's snacks as 'very good'.
Qatar Airways, which was named the world's best airline in 2024, comes second on the list with 83 per cent of passengers giving its snacks a positive rating and 82 per cent pleased with its inflight meals.
Virgin Atlantic rounds off the top three with almost three quarters (74 per cent) of passengers rating its drinks and snacks well and 73 per cent happy with the inflight meals.
When it comes to UK airlines, it's British Airways that tops the ranking with 61 per cent of its passengers prating the airline's snacks and drinks positively.