Aberdeen worst Scots airport for delays

Aberdeen has been revealed as the worst airport in Scotland for flight punctuality.

Aberdeen was the worst airport in Scotland for delays but only tenth worst in the UK. PICTURE: NEWSLINE

The transport hub was the tenth worst in Britain last year for departure delays, with an average waiting time for passengers of 16.1 minutes.

Edinburgh was only marginally better, with an average delay of 15.8min, putting the airport in 11th position.

The average departure delay from Glasgow was 15min, according to data published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The longest delays in the UK were experienced at London Luton. Departures from the Bedfordshire airport were an average 20min late in 2017.

London Gatwick recorded the second worst punctuality performance, followed by Jersey and Durham Tees Valley.

The rankings take into account every scheduled and charter flight from 25 of the UK’s major airports. Cancelled flights were not included.

The average delay across all the featured airports was 15min.

London Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, had the best performance, with aircraft typically taking off 11min late.

Leeds Bradford had the second best record, followed by Belfast City and London City.

A spokesman for Aberdeen International Airport said: “Aircraft delays can be caused by a number of factors, including weather issues, air traffic congestion, delayed arrivals or technical issues with aircraft.

“We will continue to work with our airline partners and their handling agents to improve overall levels of efficiency, including their on-time performance.

“One of the biggest challenges facing airports are the capacity constraints caused by the UK’s outdated airspace infrastructure. It’s for this reason we support the Civil Aviation Authority’s future airspace strategy.”

Punctuality data enables passengers to “make informed choices about which airports they fly from”, a CAA spokesman said. Passengers on delayed flights from UK airports are entitled to assistance and compensation depending on the cause and length of the disruption.

When flights are delayed for more than two hours, airlines have to provide passengers with free access to phone calls or emails and meals.