The Scottish airport where flights are rated the worst for cancellations and delays
Flights at the three main airports north of the Border were ranked for disruption
Aberdeen flights suffered the greatest disruption among Scottish airports over the past three summers, new analysis of official figures has revealed.
Flights at the north-east airport over that period also performed second equal worst compared to 24 UK airports along with those at Southend and Manchester, which were behind only bottom-rated Gatwick.
Edinburgh’s flights - at by far Scotland’s busiest airport - were in joint fourth place on the worst-performed list with those at Luton, and behind Bristol’s in third place.
Glasgow flights were placed joint 11th, with Bournemouth’s, behind those at airports in Southampton, Birmingham and London City (joint sixth), Exeter, Heathrow, Stansted and Cardiff.
The ratings were based on official Civil Aviation Authority figures for cancellation rates and longest average delays at each airport between May and August 2022, 2023 and 2024.
However, most delays are caused by factors outwith the control of individual airports, such as airlines, air traffic control - such as the major radar-related fault in London on Wednesday - weather, and disruption at other airports. Punctuality also differs between airlines.
The figures showed 3.9 per cent of Aberdeen flights were cancelled in the four-month period last year, 4.6 per cent in 2023 and 2.4 per cent in 2022. Average delays were 12.7, 20.1 and 23.1 minutes respectively.
That compared to 1.8 per cent to 2.6 per cent of flights cancelled at worst-placed Gatwick, but which had longer average waits of between 28 and nearly 36 minutes.
‘Disruption is not created equal’
A total of 1.3 per cent of flights were cancelled at Edinburgh Airport last year, 2.1 per cent in 2023 and 1.6 per cent in 2022, when delays averaged 21.5, 26.7 and 29.7 minutes respectively.
At Glasgow, 1.4 per cent of flights were cancelled in 2024, 2.3 per cent the previous year and 2 per cent in 2022, with average waits of 17.2, 18.8 and 22.1 minutes respectively.
Martijn Hulshof, founder of traffic management software firm Traffic Chart, which devised the ratings, said: "The data shows not all disruption is created equal. Airports like Southend and Manchester may share the same reliability score, but for very different reasons, whether it’s higher delay times or spiked cancellation rates.
“The same happens with Bristol and Cardiff. Both have cancellation rates of 0.8 per cent, yet their average delay times differ by almost three minutes. This indicates that some airports are likely managing their operations more efficiently than others despite similar challenges.”
‘Aviation is complex’
A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which operates Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton, said: “An airline's decision to reluctantly cancel a flight can be due to a number of factors, including weather issues, air traffic congestion, delayed arrivals or technical issues with aircraft.
“We will continue to work with our airline partners and their handling agents to support them in improving overall levels of efficiency.”
An Edinburgh Airport spokesperson said: "This study is of no use to anyone other than the PR company that devised it. Passengers know that aviation is complex and that many of the issues that drive delays are beyond the control of airports and airlines.
“Aviation is a team game and as a team we all work very hard to support on-time departures and minimise disruption wherever possible."
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