The UK’s worst airports for flight delays have been revealed, and Birmingham has some of the poorest flight punctuality in the country. With an early start just to drag half my belongings to the outskirts of the city, the last thing I need is to sit in an airport any longer than I have to, but BHX is really testing passengers’ patience.
According to data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Birmingham Airport was the second-worst for flight delays in 2025—which was also the airport’s busiest year in record— with an average delay of 18 minutes and 42 seconds. This is, however, 48 seconds faster than the top spot.
Manchester Airport is ranked the worst in the UK, with average delays of 18 minutes and 42 seconds, while in third place, Bournemouth Airport saw delays of 17 minutes and 18 seconds. But not all airports are so bad. Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport was the most on time, with an average flight delay of only nine minutes and 24 seconds.
Birmingham Airport is the seventh busiest airport in the UK, with 13,663,877 total passengers and 99,140 aircraft movements in 2025. The data analysis looked at all scheduled and chartered flights from the 23 commercial UK airports with at least 1,000 outbound flights, but cancellations weren’t included.
What causes delays?
Believe it or not, but flight delays are often outside of an airport’s control. A Manchester Airport spokesperson said that “The two most significant factors contributing to delays in the last year have been industrial action affecting air traffic control in Europe, and the weather.”
These have only been “exacerbated by airspace restrictions above conflict zones, meaning airports with significant long-haul networks, like Manchester, were more significantly affected than others.” Other factors include delayed arrivals and technical issues.
