Some of the UK’s smallest airports have worse cancellation rates for 2024 than their larger counterparts, according to newly released data
The UK’s worst airport for flight cancellations has been revealed and, surprisingly, it’s not Britain’s biggest aviation hub, Heathrow.
New data has revealed which major airports cancelled the most – and fewest – number of flights in 2024. The study was conducted by flight compensation specialists at AirAdvisor by analysing departure data from 20 of the busiest airports by passenger traffic across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island over two years.
It showed that across all UK airports, the average flight cancellation rate in 2024 was 1.46 percent – which was actually a slight decrease from 2023 which recorded a 1.78 percent cancellation rate. There’s more good news when it comes to London airports.
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The capital’s major airports like Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick, Stansted and London City also experienced a decrease in the rate of cancelled flights between 2023 and 2024. The cancellation rate fell by nearly 15 percent in the year alone.
While there were certainly some standout improvements, one airport distinguished itself as the UK’s worst major airport for cancelled flights. According to the data, Southampton Airport has the highest rate of cancelled flights.
This is the second year in a row that Southampton Airport tops AirAdvisor’s list of the Worst Airports for Flight Cancellations. The airport has a cancellation rate more than twice that of the national average.
According to AirAdvisor: “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.”
Trailing close behind Southampton Airport as the airport with the worst cancellation rate is Belfast City Airport – with a rate of 3.5 percent. That said, Belfast City’s cancellation actually improved from 2023 by a slight margin.
Speculating on what’s causing the increased cancellations at Belfast City, AirAdvisor says it could be due in part to the airports focus on regional flights. This focus makes it ‘more vulnerable’ to flight disruptions, particularly when flights connect to bigger airports.
London City Airport ranked third worst with a cancellation rate of 3.13 percent and Glasgow Airport ranked fourth worst with a cancellation rate of 2.15 percent. On the other side of the spectrum, three airports distinguished themselves as the most reliable with the fewest cancelled flights.
Bournemouth Airport had the lowest cancellation rate (0.08 percent). Bournemouth claims the title of Most Reliable Airport – at least when it comes to cancelled flights – for the second year in a row. “With a light flight schedule and highly efficient operations, [Bournemouth Airport] offers travellers a more stress-free flight experience,” says AirAdvisor.
Following a few ways behind are East Midlands International Airport and Bristol Airport with 0.39 percent and 0.66 percent cancellation rates respectively.
UK airports ranked from lowest to highest cancellation rate (2024)
- Bournemouth Airport
- East Midlands International Airport
- Belfast International Airport
- Luton Airport
- Bristol Airport
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport
- Stansted Airport
- Birmingham Airport
- Manchester Airport
- Newcastle Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- Gatwick Airport
- Leeds Bradford Airport
- Heathrow Airport
- Cardiff Airport
- Glasgow Airport
- Aberdeen Airport
- London City Airport
- Belfast City Airport
- Southampton Airport