New research has revealed the airports where it’s most likely your flight will get cancelled.
The study by hotel software company HotelTechReport analysed a recent data release from the Civil Aviation Authority, which showed the number of flights, cancellations and average delays for UK international airports between January and June to find which airport is performing worst for cancellations so far this year.
It found that Southampton Airport had 5.82 per cent of all flights cancelled in the first half of this year, with 6,852 total, of which 399 were cancelled. When studying every flight that was delayed at the airport, the average delay was 15.82 minutes. The percentage of cancelled flights is more than two percentage points higher than London City Airport, in second place.
London City comes in second place, with the central London airport having 715 total cancelled flights between January and June, with 18,788 flights in total, giving it a cancellation percentage of 3.81 per cent. However, the average delay of 10.42 minutes was the lowest in the top ten and the lowest in the 25 UK airports studied.
The Isle of Man Airport comes in third place, with 3,695 total flights and 139 cancellations, giving a cancellation percentage of 3.76 per cent. The airport also has the second-highest average delay in the top ten, with an average of 18.28 minutes.
| # | Airport | Total flights Jan-June | Cancellations | % Cancelled | Average delay (mins) |
| 1 | Southampton | 6,852 | 399 | 5.82% | 15.82 |
| 2 | London City | 18,788 | 715 | 3.81% | 10.42 |
| 3 | Isle Of Man | 3,695 | 139 | 3.76% | 18.28 |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 11,628 | 374 | 3.22% | 18.18 |
| 5 | Glasgow | 25,663 | 644 | 2.51% | 15.31 |
| 6 | Belfast City (George Best) | 8,498 | 213 | 2.51% | 11.81 |
| 7 | Heathrow | 166,074 | 3,477 | 2.09% | 18.21 |
| 8 | Bristol | 25,157 | 483 | 1.92% | 23.65 |
| 9 | Jersey | 7,154 | 127 | 1.78% | 14.82 |
| 10 | Edinburgh | 38,243 | 628 | 1.64% | 16.93 |
Heathrow had the most cancellations of any airport, with 3,477 cancellations along with 166,074 flights in total. However, it only comes in seventh due to its cancellation percentage of 2.09 per cent. The average delay time of all delayed flights at the airport was also 18.21 minutes.
Bristol came out with the highest average delay of any airport in the top ten with 23.65 minutes. It also had 25,157 total flights and 483 cancellations, with a cancellation percentage of 1.92 per cent. Birmingham Airport ended with the longest average delays with 24.57 minutes, yet only finished 17th due to its cancellation percentage of 0.95 per cent.
A spokesperson from HotelTechReport, commenting on the findings, said, “If your local airport finds itself near the top of this list, combined with all the continued cancellations this year, it might be a wise idea to travel a little bit further to catch your flight abroad or even make plans for your ideal staycation later this year or into 2023. Even looking at where you can expect delays is useful to help you prepare your itinerary with more factors in mind.”
Related: Travel hack: How to avoid 57% hike in Heathrow travel fares
