Weather plays its part as punctuality takes off at Scottish airports

According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures, 84 per cent of scheduled (non-charter) flights from Glasgow and 81 per cent from Edinburgh were “on time” – defined as either early or, at most, 15 minutes late.

The figures are significantly better than those for the last quarter of 2010. Then, both airports recorded 73 per cent, though Scotland was in the grip of a cold snap that caused serious disruption to flights.

Glasgow has seen an annual rise in fourth-quarter punctuality going back to 2006, when 75 per cent of flights were on time. Edinburgh’s has returned to almost 2008 levels, when 82 per cent of flights were on time.

The figures also showed that the average flight delay between quarter four of 2010 and 2011 fell from 19 to 11 minutes at Edinburgh and from 19 to 10 minutes at Glasgow.

A spokesman for Edinburgh airport said that, while the mild weather had contributed to the figures, team work was at the root of the improvement.

“Achieving punctuality figures like this is very much something that takes a lot of collaboration between ourselves, our airlines and handling agent,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been focusing on over the past couple of years, and we’re pleased to see that hard work bearing fruit.”

A spokeswoman for Glasgow airport described the improvements as “significant”. She said: “It’s great news for the airport, our partners and, most importantly, our customers..”

Across the UK, 80 per cent of scheduled flights were on time at ten main airports during the fourth quarter of 2011, the CAA said, compared with only 68 per cent in October-December 2010.

The average delay for scheduled flights fell from 21 minutes in the last three months of 2010 to just 11 minutes last year.

Iain Osborne, CAA group director for regulatory policy, said the results were positive, but he sounded a note of caution.

“We welcome the marked improvements this year, which have a significant impact on the passenger experience of air travel – 2010 punctuality performance was poor, and, although some of the improvement can be explained by the lack of significant weather-related disruption, airlines can also be congratulated.

“2011 also saw the first increase in passenger numbers for four years. If this trend continues, airlines and airports will need to carefully balance growth with targeted investment if they are to secure continued improvements in passenger service.”

THE NUMBERS

84% scheduled flights on time at Glasgow airport during the last quarter of 2011

81% scheduled flights on time at Edinburgh airport during the same period

80% UK average for punctual flights in the final quarter of 2011

11mins UK average airport delay for scheduled flights