London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025

UK airlines more likely to have delays than their rivals in Europe and around the world

UK airlines more likely to have delays than their rivals in Europe and around the world

A British operator failed to make either of the leaderboards which list the top 10 best airlines in Europe and around the world for avoiding delays.
UK airlines are more likely to have delays compared to their rivals in Europe and around the world, figures for the past year show.

A British operator didn't make any of the leaderboards when the aviation analytics company Cirium put together the top 10 airlines and airports for avoiding delays in 2022.

Cirium put together separate leaderboards for airlines in Europe and around the world, and a single leaderboard for airports across the globe.

The company has not yet released the full rankings below the top 10 but figures show that at least 25% of flights from UK airlines were delayed, since the 10th ranked airline in Europe had a 75% punctuality rating.

The global leader for timeliness is Azul Brazilian Airlines, with 88.93% of arrivals being on time, followed by two Japanese operators, All Nippon Airways with 88.61% and Japan Airlines at 88%.

Haneda Airport, also in Japan, was ranked the most reliable airport for punctuality, with 90.33% of departures taking off on time.

Kempegowda International Airport in India came second with 84.08% of departures being on time.

Six out of the world's top ten most punctual airports were in the US, including Salt Lake City International Airport which was ranked third place with 83.87% of take-offs being on time.

On the European leaderboard, Spanish airlines claimed the top four spots, with Iberia ranked first place for 85.87% of its flights arriving on time.

Air Europa came second, with 84.1% of planes touching down on time, followed by Iberia Express at 83.8%, and Vueling with 82.04%.

Austrian Airlines were ranked the fifth most reliable in Europe with 82% punctuality, followed by Norwegian Air Shuttle at 81.29%.

An airline's flight is classed as on time if it arrives no later than 15 minutes after it is expected, and for an airport if it departs within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

The rankings are part of Cirium's upcoming On-Time Performance Report, which is the global standard for operational performance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
×