UK is second worst in EU for air delays

Britain is the second-worst country in Europe for flight delays and cancellations, according to a report.

the number of cancelled flights from UK airports almost doubled this year, owing to a combination of strikes, pilot shortages and bad weather, research found.

2018 has been the ‘ worst year on record’ for disruption across Europe. Passengers in the UK bore the brunt, with Britain second only to Germany in the number of flights delayed or cancelled. analysis of flight data found one in four outbound flights from the UK was delayed or cancelled in the year up to September 22.

Of the 692,800 flights scheduled to leave the UK over that period, 164,690 were delayed by at least 15 minutes and 10,640 were cancelled.

this was up 87 per cent from 5,700 cancelled flights over the same period last year. Over 21,000 more flights have been delayed this year. Just under three in ten flights from Germany have been delayed or cancelled this year, according to the analysis from claims firm airHelp.

Passengers flying from Portugal were the most likely to face disruption, with more than a third of flights delayed or cancelled – but the relatively small number of flights from the country meant the overall numbers affected were lower than in the UK and Germany.

thousands of flights across Europe have been disrupted by striking air traffic controllers, predominantly in France. Bad weather – in particular heavy snow in February and March – also played a part. But much of the disruption has been caused by the airlines themselves, the report added.

Paloma Salmeron, passenger rights expert at airHelp, said: ‘ 2018 has seen the worst flight disruption across Europe in history.

‘Millions of travellers have suffered severe delays or cancellations by airlines, but nowhere more so than in Germany and the UK.’

industry group airlines UK said: ‘Delays affect a minority of overall journeys and are often due to factors beyond an airline’s control.’

‘Millions have suffered’