A new analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data has ranked Manchester Airport as the worst in the UK for flight delays in 2025. Departures from the country's third busiest airport were an average of 19 minutes and 30 seconds behind schedule, longer than any other UK airport, despite a 30-second improvement from the previous year.
The report, compiled by the Press Association, comes as a warning from Which? Travel editor Rory Boland, who said passengers “cannot book flights from Manchester Airport with any real confidence”. Manchester Airport handled 32 million passengers last year and recently completed a £1.3 billion transformation, including the modernisation and expansion of Terminal 2 and closure of Terminal 1, with Terminal 3 works ongoing.
Manchester Airport hit back at the findings, calling them “misleading” and stating they “ignore important context”. A spokesperson said punctuality is affected by factors outside the airport's control, such as air traffic control industrial action in Europe and adverse weather, which were exacerbated by airspace restrictions over conflict zones, disproportionately affecting airports with significant long-haul networks like Manchester.
Birmingham Airport had the second poorest punctuality, with an average delay of 18 minutes and 42 seconds, followed by Bournemouth Airport at 17 minutes and 18 seconds. The average delay across all UK airports was 14 minutes and 54 seconds, down from 18 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024.
In contrast, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, less than 30 miles from Manchester, was the most punctual, with an average delay of just 9 minutes and 24 seconds. The analysis covered scheduled and chartered departures from 23 UK airports with at least 1,000 outbound flights in 2025, excluding cancellations.
