An airport been named the worst in the UK for flight delays, new data has shown. AirHelp has issued its UK Flight Disruption Report based on delays which were 15 minutes or more. It highlights instances of airlines being owed compensation from airports when arriving more than three hours late.

The biggest loser in this category is Manchester Airport where 32% of flights were delayed last year, according to figures published in the report from compensation firm, AirHelp. The airport, however, has hit back at the unwanted title, claiming it’s “misleading”.

The data showed that of the 14,330,252 passengers who flew from the airport last year, 4,702,454 experienced delays or cancellations. In total, 136,620 passengers had their flights cancelled, while 4,565,833 faced delays of 15 minutes or more. Birmingham and Bournemouth airports followed with 29% of flights being disrupted, while 27% of passengers at both London Stansted and Gatwick faced disruption. Manchester Airport has stated that the research is “misleading” because it fails to account for the context of flight delays and factors beyond the airport’s control. These include the weather, industrial action, and impacts on air traffic control and airspace restrictions. The percentage of delayed flights can also reflect the size of an airport and the routes it offers.

As the largest airport outside of London, Manchester Airport has a network of more than 200 destinations worldwide, including long-haul routes, which are more likely to be affected by flight restrictions in Ukraine and parts of the Middle East, forcing them to take longer routes.

Delays to these flights may not affect the many holidaymakers jetting off to Europe, but they can increase the overall average delay figures compared to small airports that operate only short-haul flights.

Many of the airport’s flights also depart from their home country, fly to Manchester and then return, which means delays at their origin airports can have a knock-on effect on the schedules at Manchester Airport.

The report found that the Manchester to Cairo route was the UK’s most delayed, with 79% of flights delayed. However, both Manchester to Shanghai and Manchester to Atlanta were in the top 10 most on-time routes in 2025.

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: “This analysis is misleading as it ignores important context. Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport’s control.

“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 were exacerbated by airspace restrictions above conflict zones, meaning airports with significant long-haul networks, like Manchester, were more significantly affected than others.

“As an industry, we are working collectively to achieve the best possible on-time departure rates, while protecting flight schedules and avoiding the need for cancellations.”

At the UK’s biggest airport, Heathrow, 23% of flights were delayed, while 26% of flights were delayed at London Gatwick.

The research found that in 2025, the largest flight disruption event in the UK was the closure of Heathrow Airport on March 21 due to a large fire at the North Hyde electrical substation, which caused a power outage.

The airport was shut for much of the day, which meant 99% of passengers faced disruption; 98% of flights were cancelled, and more than 96,000 passengers were affected.

Overall, in 2025, 142 million passengers flew from the UK, with 26% experiencing disruption. But the report found that long delays have improved, affecting just 0.46% of UK passengers.