Europeβs 10 worst airports for 60+ minute delays: Minimise interruptions for 2026
Find out which European airports have the most hour-long (or more) flight delays. We break down our AirAdvisor Air Data by delay rate, delay time, and routes.
TL;DR
- 3 out of the 10 worst European airports are in the UK, but the worst overall is Milan-Bergamo.
- Our main metric, the LD60+ rate, is the number of flights departing from the airport that are delayed on arrival by 60 minutes or more as a percentage of the total annual flights. We also measured the average delay time.
- The AirAdvisor AirData analyses all departing flights from 50 European airports from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.
- The longest average delay time is at Zagreb Airport – 225.32 minutes. The highest rate of flights delayed by 60 minutes or more is at Lisbon Airport at 7.15%.
Europe is a common connection point for world travellers. But whether you have a direct flight or a connection, a delay of an hour or more is inconvenient. And sometimes, it’s more than that. A long delay can have a cascading effect, resulting in missed flights, missed events, and even missed work. That’s why we compiled AirAdvisor AirData® on the 10 worst European airports for 60+ minute delays.
We’ll explore which airports have the highest delay rates, how long the worst delays last on average, and the most delay-prone routes from each. Then, passengers will know what to expect on their next European journey.
Methodology
Using AirAdvisor AirData®, we analysed flights departing from the 50 European airports with the highest numbers of 60+ minute delays during 2025. We examined:
- LD60+ rate = The total annual 60+ minute arrival delays from the airport divided by the total annual flights.
- Delay time = The average delay in minutes, where 60 minutes is the minimum.
Higher values indicate poorer performance. Each airport received a ranking from 1 (worst) to 50 (best) for both metrics. Then, we applied weights as follows:
- 70% to the LD60+ rate
- 30% to the average delay time
All this info is compiled into a top 10 list of the worst European airports for 60-minute+ delays, with a priority placed on not getting delayed in the first place (LD60+).
Key findings
- Milan-Bergamo Airport scored the combined worst for LD60+ and average delay time.
- The 50-airport averages are: LD60+ is 4.82% and Average Delay Time among flights delayed by at least 60 minutes is 120.44 minutes.
- Lisbon Airport (#8 overall) has the highest chance of a 60+ minute delay – 7.15%.
- The European airport with the longest average delay time is Zagreb (225.32 minutes), but it has a lower-than-average chance of hour+ delays – 4.06%.
Ranking – the 10 worst airports in Europe for 60+ minute delays
# | Departure airport | Total flights | Flights delayed | Delayed flights % | Top 3 Worst Routes | Average delay, min | Weighted total |
1 | MILAN-BERGAMO (BGY) | 45742 | 3152 | 6.89 % | #1 BGY - STN (146/1371 flights) #2 BGY - SAW (129/1700 flights) #3 BGY - BCN (125/1110 flights) | 132.46 | 5.7 |
2 | MADEIRA (FNC) | 36877 | 2004 | 5.43 % | #1 FNC - LIS (1187/20913 flights) #2 FNC - OPO (172/3490 flights) #3 FNC - PXO (95/1414 flights) | 145.13 | 10.2 |
3 | PALMA DE MALLORCA (PMI) | 137729 | 8804 | 6.39 % | #1 PMI - BCN (898/18515 flights) #2 PMI - MAD (736/24180 flights) #3 PMI - FRA (372/4574 flights) | 114.81 | 11 |
4 | MANCHESTER (MAN) | 138142 | 8511 | 6.16 % | #1 MAN - AMS (1171/18711 flights) #2 MAN - CDG (657/9166 flights) #3 MAN - DUB (536/7886 flights) | 116.89 | 11.1 |
5 | PISA (PSA) | 17653 | 1234 | 6.99 % | #1 PSA - STN (98/917 flights) #2 PSA - FRA (80/824 flights) #3 PSA - PMO (69/941 flights) | 110.7 | 12.5 |
6 | TIRANA (TIA) | 33654 | 1922 | 5.71 % | #1 TIA - BGY (116/1696 flights) #2 TIA - STN (97/844 flights) #3 TIA - LTN (89/1121 flights) | 113.69 | 14.2 |
7 | BRISTOL (BRS) | 38085 | 2034 | 5.34 % | #1 BRS - AMS (445/5944 flights) #2 BRS - DUB (200/3379 flights) #3 BRS - PMI (76/1160 flights) | 117.85 | 14.5 |
8 | LISBON (LIS) | 346396 | 24783 | 7.15 % | #1 LIS - FNC (1987/20121 flights) #2 LIS - MAD (1511/28380 flights) #3 LIS - OPO (1297/18372 flights) | 101.79 | 16 |
9 | NICE COTE D’AZUR (NCE) | 96341 | 6490 | 6.74 % | #1 NCE - CDG (1301/19801 flights) #2 NCE - AMS (382/6721 flights) #3 NCE - LGW (339/1883 flights) | 107.82 | 16.9 |
10 | LONDON GATWICK (LGW) | 155535 | 8169 | 5.25 % | #1 LGW - BCN (593/9143 flights) #2 LGW - AGP (310/6850 flights) #3 LGW - PMI (236/2612 flights) | 112.56 | 21.7 |
The 3 worst European airports for 1 hour+ delays
Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY)
Bergamo’s airport is the third-busiest in Italy after Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Malpensa. While neither LD60+ nor the average delay is the worst in Europe, when combined, Milan-Bergamo is the European airport with the highest disruption.
- The LD60+ rate is the third-highest in the top 10 at 6.89%. It’s number 1 because the airports with higher 60+ minute delay rates have better average delay times.
- The route with the highest LD60+ rate is to Barcelona El-Prat Airport – 11.3% delayed in 2025 and much higher than the airport’s annual average.
- Travellers can also consider Milan-Malpensa Airport, which is very close by. MXP’s LD60+ rate is 5.07% and doesn’t make the top 10 worst. Milan-Linate and Verona are also viable alternatives.
Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport Madeira (FNC)
Madeira’s Funchal Airport has a lower volume of annual flights compared to Milan-Bergamo, and the good news is that the rate for delays of an hour or more is lower.
- The rate for delays of 60 minutes or more at Madeira Airport is 5.43%, and the average delay time is 145.13 minutes, which is higher than Bergamo.
- The highest raw number of delays is on the route to Lisbon, and the route with the highest LD60+ rate is to Porto Santo Airport (6.7%).
- With significant delay times here, often due to weather, bring activities to keep everyone busy and prepare to wait it out. There are no other suitable airports on the island.
Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI)
Palma de Mallorca’s delay rate is in the middle of the top 3, but the average delay time is much lower, which explains its ranking.
- LD60+ rate of 6.39%, significantly higher than the 50-airport average of 4.82%.
- Lower average delay time than both Milan-Bergamo and Madeira – 114.81 minutes.
- Highest volume airport in the worst 3, and the route from Palma de Mallorca to Frankfurt has a higher-than-average delay rate of 8.13%.
- If your itinerary with PMI involves a connection, it’s best to build in extra time. Like with Madeira Airport, this is your only option on the island.
How to use this delay information to your advantage
A quick check of this list can help you plan better European travel in 2026 and beyond. Look for alternative airports to cut down on the delay risk, and don’t book tight connections. Avoid flights from any of the airports in our worst 10 list whenever possible.
You can also prepare for inconvenient long delays by knowing your European passenger rights. Certain flight delays qualify for care and assistance during the wait and even flight delay compensation when the delay is at least 3 hours. AirAdvisor can help you file a claim easily to maximise your payout.
Certain flight delays qualify for care and assistance during the wait and even flight delay compensation when the delay is at least 3 hoursAirAdvisor can help you file a claim easily to maximise your payout.Check Your Flight
Data Use Rights
AirAdvisor publishes AirData® insights based on aggregated flight performance data analysed for consumer information purposes. Journalists, researchers, and industry professionals are welcome to reference these findings with attribution. Please cite the source as: “Data source: AirAdvisor AirData®” and include a link to the original page where the data appears. The full dataset is available upon request.
For media inquiries, data clarifications, or reuse permissions beyond citation, please contact press@airadvisor.com.
FAQs
Which airport in Europe has the most delays of 60+ minutes?
Using only the raw numbers, Paris Charles de Gaulle has the highest number of departing flights delayed on arrival by an hour or more – 36,039 in 2025. As a rate of total departing flights, Lisbon Airport has the highest 60+ minute delays – 7.15%.
What European airport is the best for avoiding delays of an hour or more?
Of the 50 airports in our AirData for 2025, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) had the lowest LD60+ rate of 2.37%. The lowest average delay time over one hour was at Lisbon Airport (LIS) of 101.79. But overall, when both factors are combined, it’s Bordeaux-Merignac Airport (BOD) that’s the best for 60-minute+ delays.
How often is the AirAdvisor AirData updated?
We refresh our AirData daily to keep it up to date.
Press highlights
- The overall worst European airport for 60+ minute delays is Milan-Bergamo.
- Flights delayed by at least one hour are delayed for an average of 120.44 minutes. Although the threshold is 60 minutes, delays commonly end up stretching beyond 2 hours.
- Lisbon has the highest delay rate of 60 minutes or more (7.15%); Zagreb has the longest average delay time (225.32 minutes).
Our findings are based on two factors: the likelihood of 60-minute+ delays and the average time of the delay. We ranked each of the 50 airports and weighted the total points using 70% for departing flights delayed by 60 minutes or more (LD60+), and 30% for the average delay length.
The complete data set is available on request.
Source: AirAdvisor AirData analysis of 240,376 60-minute+ delayed flights from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, measuring the percentage of departing flights arriving 60+ minutes late and the average duration of those delays.
Author:
Amy Lancelotte
Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Strategist
Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with over seven years of experience producing research-based articles for international audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.
