Manchester Airport tops UK delay rankings as average departure times lag
May 6, 2026
Manchester Airport has recorded the longest average departure delays of any UK airport, with flights leaving an average of 19 minutes and 30 seconds behind their scheduled departure time in 2025, according to analysis of CAA data by the Press Association.
The gateway to the northwest is the UK’s third busiest airport, handling around 32 million passengers annually. It is also one of only two airports (the other is London Heathrow) to operate two runways.
Airports ranked by longest average delay
| Rank | Airport | Average delay |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 19 minutes, 30 seconds |
| 2 | Birmingham | 18 minutes, 42 seconds |
| 3 | Bournemouth | 17 minutes, 18 seconds |
| 4 | Southampton | 16 minutes, 36 seconds |
| 5 | Gatwick | 16 minutes, 24 seconds |
| 6 | Newcastle | 15 minutes, 48 seconds |
| 7 | Leeds Bradford | 15 minutes, 36 seconds |
| 8 | Stansted | 15 minutes, 36 seconds |
| 9 | Edinburgh | 15 minutes, 24 seconds |
| 10 | Teesside | 15 minutes, 6 seconds |
| 11 | Cardiff | 14 minutes, 54 seconds |
| 12 | Exeter | 14 minutes, 54 seconds |
| 13 | Bristol | 14 minutes, 36 seconds |
| 14 | London City | 14 minutes, 12 seconds |
| 15 | Luton | 14 minutes, 12 seconds |
| 16 | Heathrow | 12 minutes, 42 seconds |
| 17 | Belfast International | 12 minutes, 24 seconds |
| 18 | Glasgow | 12 minutes, 6 seconds |
| 19 | Belfast City | 12 minutes, 6 seconds |
| 20 | East Midlands | 11 minutes, 48 seconds |
| 21 | Aberdeen | 10 minutes, 54 seconds |
| 22 | Southend | 10 minutes, 24 seconds |
| 23 | Liverpool John Lennon | 9 minutes, 24 seconds |
Earlier this year, Manchester completed a £1.3 billion modernisation programme, encompassing a revamped Terminal 2 and the closure of Terminal 1, with work on Terminal 3 still ongoing.
The report also follows an analysis published in March by airport transfer platform Mozio that Manchester Airport generates more passenger complaints than any other UK airport.
Manchester Airport says the analysis is misleading
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport told Aerospace Global News the analysis of the CAA’s data is “misleading and not particularly helpful to passengers” as it “ignores important context.”
The spokesperson argued that “Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport’s control.” He cited industrial action affecting air traffic control across Europe, adverse weather and airspace restrictions above conflict zones as the primary culprits.
“Airports with significant long-haul networks, like Manchester, were more significantly affected than others,” the spokesperson continued.
To put this into perspective, flights from the Far East and South Asia are currently routinely rerouted to avoid flying over Ukraine or the Middle East. This results in these flights arriving late into Manchester and pushing back outbound departure times.
The spokesperson noted this rerouting disproportionately affects airports with substantial long-haul networks, such as Manchester.
The CAA itself acknowledges the limitation of the data, noting on its website that unforeseen events such as severe weather conditions, technical issues, or other extraordinary circumstances beyond airports’ and airlines’ control may impact flight schedules.
It also highlights that these disruptions “do not necessarily reflect the long-term performance of the reliability of the airport or airline.”
UK average for departure delays drops below 15 minutes
Despite that context, the figures are difficult to dismiss entirely. Manchester’s 30-second improvement on 2024 data compares poorly with the broader industry, where average departure delays fell from 18 minutes and 24 seconds to 14 minutes and 54 seconds over the same period. This would suggest other airports are recovering from disruption more quickly.
2025 also marks the fourth consecutive year Manchester has ranked last in the CAA’s delay rankings. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said the figures, “validate why this is a particularly poor place to be stranded during delays”, adding that consistent underperformance “makes it difficult to book with any real confidence.”
While Manchester Airport ranked worst for departure delays, Birmingham Airport recorded the second-longest average delays at 18 minutes and 24 seconds, followed by Bournemouth Airport at 17 minutes and 18 seconds.
At the other end of the rankings, Liverpool John Lennon Airport was the UK’s most punctual airport with an average delay of nine minutes and 24 seconds. Cardiff Airport, which welcomed a new CEO last year, and Exeter both performed close to the national average of just under 15 minutes.
Featured image: Manchester Airport
