The UK’s Best and Worst Airports for Cancelled Flights
Flight cancellations rates in the UK have ebbed slightly over the past year, but they’re still a major source of frustration for travellers, resulting in lost time, money, and missed events. You might not be able to prevent or control a cancelled flight, but you can choose to fly from certain airports less prone to this kind of disruption.
To help you do this, the AirAdvisor team used UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data from 2024 to analyse the scheduled departures for the 20 busiest airports in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, based on total passenger volume, to give you a comprehensive ranking of the best and worst airports for cancelled flights.
The 4 Worst Airports for Flight Cancellations
#1 Southampton Airport (SOU): 3.57% Cancellation Rate
Southampton Airport tops the list for the second year in a row as the UK airport with the most cancelled flights. To put this in perspective, the national average is 1.46%, and SOU’s cancellation rate is more than twice that.
As a smaller airport with around 853,000 passengers in 2024, Southampton continues to struggle with operational challenges including persistent staffing issues and a limited infrastructure, which can be exacerbated during busy travel periods.
#2 Belfast City Airport (BHD): 3.31% Cancellation Rate
The second worst airport for cancelled flights is Belfast City Airport, whose cancellation rate actually improved since 2023 when it was 3.5%. What’s causing this many cancellations at such a small airport? It could be partly caused by BHD’s focus on regional flights, making it more vulnerable to these kinds of disruptions, particularly when flights connect to bigger airports.
#3 London City Airport (LCY): 3.13% Cancellation Rate
A favourite of business travellers because of its closer proximity to the financial district, Lond City Airport has actually seen fewer cancelled flights, down from 4% in 2023 to 3.13% in 2024. Nevertheless, it still ranks as the 3rd worst UK airports for cancellations that can lead to missed connecting flights and plenty of disrupted schedules.
#4 Glasgow Airport (GLA): 2.15% Cancellation Rate
Glasgow Airport’s flight cancellation rate is over 1.5 times the national average, securing it the #4 position in this ranking. For this Scottish airport, delays and cancellations tend to be on the high side, probably because of regular staffing problems and consistently difficult weather conditions.
The 3 Most Reliable Airports with the Fewest Cancelled Flights
#1 Bournemouth Airport (BOH): 0.08% Cancellation Rate
Smaller airports can be a lot less stressful for travellers, and this is especially true of Bournemouth Airport, who has the lowest rate for cancelled flights in the UK for the 2nd year in a row. With a lighter flight schedule and highly efficient operations, BOH offers travellers a more stress-free flight experience.
#2 East Midlands International Airport (EMA): 0.39% Cancellation Rate
With a focus on cargo and leisure traffic, East Midlands Airport’s flights are hardly ever cancelled, making it the second best airport in the UK for reliability. The secret sauce could be its efficient ground handling, but whatever the reason, you can pretty much count the fact your flight will probably not be cancelled.
#3 Bristol Airport (BRS): 0.66% Cancellation Rate
And the third most reliable airport is Bristol Airport, whose cancellation rate dropped by half to .66% from 1.27% in 2023. If you’re flying from the South West, you can usually depend on BRS to keep flights operating as scheduled. And this is especially good news as it’s one of the fastest-growing regional airports in the UK.
How are the Biggest UK Airports Performing?
If you’re wondering how the biggest hubs fared in this ranking, suffice it to say that they were solidly in the middle of the pack.
Heathrow Airport came in at number 14, even with a decrease in cancellations. In 2023, 2.11% of flights were cancelled compared to 1.73 in 2024.
Gatwick Airport performed slightly better, securing the number 12 position with 1.53% of flights cancelled, down from 1.84 in 2023.
Manchester Airport came in at #9 with an improved cancellation rate of 1% down from 1.33%, and Birmingham secured the #8 seat with .82% of flights cancelled in 2024 . . . a marked improvement from 1.16% in 2023.
What to Know (and Do) if Your Flight is Cancelled
Have you had a flight cancelled from any of these airports? If you have, you’re protected by some of the best passenger rights regulations in the world.
UK261 rules require UK airlines, or any airline departing from the UK, to compensate passengers up to £520 for flights cancelled with less than 14-days notice, if the airline is to blame. You’re also entitled to a refund OR a rebooking to your final destination.
So, as soon as you learn about the cancellation:
- Ask for a refund or a rebooking
- Find out why the flight was cancelled.
- Start gathering evidence of the cancelled flight like screenshots of the cancellation notification and communication you have with the airline.
After that, find out if your flight is eligible for compensation. AirAdvisor has a free compensation checker for this very purpose, where you can enter your basic flight details and see if you’re eligible as well as how much you could claim.
And of course, if you need any help with your compensation claim, let us know!
Author:
Joanna Teljeur
Job/Position: Editor, Senior Writer
Joanna is a writer, editor, and consumer rights advocate.
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