If you have ever gone to the airport for a holiday only to find that the flight has been cancelled, you are not the only one as several UK airports have been hit
The UK’s worst airports to have flights cancelled have been unveiled — with the worst offender topping the list for two years in a row. These airports are not confined just to England, but of every part of the UK.
Brits are often hit with horrendous delays to flights and even cancellations, particularly during intense weather events that cause disruption across the whole country. But it has been revealed that some airports are worse for calling time on flights that have not even left the ground.
The figures come as the UK’s aviation authority has urged passengers to study up on their rights if a flight does end up being culled. This includes knowing as and when passengers can apply for compensation if they are not allowed to fly.
According to data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), crunched by travel compensation specialists AirAdvisor, it was revealed that Southampton Airport is the UK’s worst for two years running. Figures found that the number of grounded flights was three times the national average.
In its research of the data, gathered from January to November of 2025, it was revealed that just under 3% of scheduled flights at Southampton Airport ended up being scrapped. However, despite the worrying number, this is an improvement based on last year’s figures, when the rate was at 3.3%.
Belfast City Airport, perched right in the centre of the Northern Irish capital was right behind in second place, with 2.16% of flights being cancelled from the airport. Scotland’s Aberdeen Airport rounded out the top three, with 1.83% of flights being struck off.
On the flip side, the airports at the bottom of the list, which include 20 of the UK’s busiest airports, saw Bournemouth Airport have the least number of cancelled flights at just 0.17%. London’s Luton and Stansted Airports also ranked low, with only 0.34% and 0.41% of flights being cancelled respectively.
Overall, the UK is reducing the number of cancelled flights it handles, with only 1.09% of flights being grounded between January and November. Speaking on the results of the investigation, AirAdvisor CEO Anton Radchenko said: “Air passengers in the UK can breathe a sigh of relief as we head into 2026, with most trend data suggesting that flight cancellation rates at British airports are decreasing.”
Anton went on to say that under British law, passengers leaving from a UK airport or flying with a UK airline should be able to claim compensation if their flight is cancelled with less than two weeks notice. The compensation ranges from a minimum of £220-£520 per passenger; for delayed flights, compensation is only awarded after the plane is grounded for more than three hours.
“In addition to compensation, you may also be eligible for assistance before you travel, such as meals and hotel accommodation for flights moved to the day after you were due to travel,” he added. “If your flight is cancelled, or delayed for more than five hours, you can choose not to travel and receive a full refund of your ticket price.”
The full top 20 list is:
- Southampton – 2.98% of schedule services cancelled
- Belfast City – 2.16%
- Aberdeen – 1.83%
- Glasgow – 1.63%
- London City – 1.48%
- Leeds Bradford – 1.39%
- Heathrow – 1.36%
- Edinburgh – 1.08%
- Manchester – 1.01%
- Birmingham – 1%
- Cardiff – 0.89%
- Liverpool – 0.84%
- Newcastle – 0.84%
- Gatwick – 0.80%
- East Midlands – 0.52%
- Bristol – 0.51%
- Belfast International – 0.49%
- Stansted – 0.41%
- Luton – 0.34%
- Bournemouth – 0.17%
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