Cardiff Airport has recorded the lowest rate of flight delays among the UK's 20 busiest airports, with just 3.6% of services departing over 60 minutes late in the past year. The figure places it ahead of London Heathrow, which saw 3.89% of flights delayed by over an hour.
The ranking, compiled by air passenger rights experts AirAdvisor, assessed the percentage of all flights at the UK's 20 busiest airports (excluding the Channel Islands) that departed more than 60 minutes late between September 30, 2025 and October 2, 2026.
Manchester tops delay table
Manchester Airport, the UK's third largest air hub in terms of passenger numbers, was the country's worst for delays, with 7.73% of scheduled services delayed by over an hour. Birmingham Airport followed at 7.16%, Bournemouth at 6.99%, and Southampton at 6.94%.
London Stansted recorded 6.73%, Edinburgh 6.51%, Belfast International 6.01%, Leeds Bradford 5.98%, Bristol 5.65%, London Luton 5.59%, London Gatwick 5.58%, East Midlands 5.34%, Belfast City 5.17%, Glasgow 4.86%, Liverpool 4.65%, Newcastle 4.55%, London City 4.38%, and Aberdeen 4.07%.
Passenger rights explained
Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, said: "Flight punctuality at any individual airport is not necessarily an indication of an airport's overall reliability. This is because factors sometimes completely outside of an airport's control, like weather, particularly high winds and fog can lead to disruption."
Radchenko added: "The saving grace for travellers departing or arriving at a UK or EU airport, or with a British or EU-member state-based airline, is that both sets of governments have sophisticated legislation in place to protect air passengers affected by disruption."
Under the UK's UK261 regulation, passengers arriving at their destination over three hours late may be due up to £520 in compensation, depending on the distance of the journey. The EU's 261 regulation mirrors this law, with a similar amount potentially available if a claim is successful.
Passengers affected by delays of over two hours have the right to claim food and drink vouchers from their airline while waiting at the airport. Those delayed overnight can seek a hotel stay and transport to and from their accommodation, paid for by the carrier.
Cardiff's recent growth
This September, passengers at Cardiff were among thousands delayed as around 2,000 flights were cancelled across the UK following a major issue with air traffic control systems that disrupted tens of thousands of passengers.
Earlier in the summer, Cardiff Airport was shortlisted for a prestigious aviation award recognising its continued growth and development. It has been named a finalist in the under five million passengers category at the 2026 Routes World Awards, alongside Bratislava Airport, Cork Airport, Halifax Stanfield International Airport, and Shannon Airport.
The last time Cardiff Airport won a Routes Award was in 1998. The winners will be announced at the Routes World Awards in Frankfurt on Thursday, October 22. In the last 12 months, the airport has welcomed more than one million passengers for the first time since the Covid pandemic.
