Average flight from Stansted delayed by more than 15 minutes

RADAR analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data shows there were 84,534 departures from Stansted in 2023, which were delayed on average by 19 minutes and five seconds.

The average delay for flights across the UK's 22 commercial airports with at least 1,000 outbound flights was 20 minutes and 43 seconds.

This was down from 23 minutes and 12 seconds in 2022, when the aviation sector struggled to cope with a surge in demand for holidays following the end of coronavirus travel restrictions.

Naomi Leach, deputy editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: "It’s clear from these latest figures that millions of passengers continued to experience unacceptably long hold-ups last year.

"This cannot be allowed to become the new normal."

CAA director Tim Johnson said it is vital the aviation sector "focuses on resilience" ahead of the summer holiday period to "keep passenger disruption to a minimum".

He added: "Where people do find themselves facing disruption, we want them to be well-informed about the duty of care that they are entitled to."

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said flight disruption is "always incredibly frustrating".

She continued: "Any delay can have significant knock-on effects on both leisure and business travellers.

"With millions of Brits set to travel abroad this summer, it’s vital for the UK’s airports alongside all parts of the travel eco-system to continually work together to ensure the system is as efficient as it can be."

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Across the UK, 14,900 flights were cancelled – this included 402 from Stansted.

A spokesperson for the Airport Operators Association trade body said: "Airports work extremely hard to minimise delays while providing a positive, safe and secure experience for passengers.

"These figures do not provide any of the context around operating in a global environment and do not give the travelling public a clear picture of how air travel operates.

“This analysis ignores important context. Punctuality can be affected by a number of factors, most of which 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.

“Last month (March) almost 82 per cent of flights from London Stansted took off on time, comfortably above the national average of 67 per cent.  

"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."