Flight delays for six major UK airlines are worse than before pandemic

British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Tui and Wizz Air were all less punctual in the 12 months to the end of April than in 2019, new figures show

William Morgan Senior reporter and Neil Lancefield PA Transport Correspondent

03:04, 18 Sep 2025

Many post-pandemic passengers will have noticed more frequent delays in their journey(Image: f9photos via Getty Images)

New data reveals that flight delays for six major airlines operating in the UK are worse now than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Consumer group Which? analysed years of flight data and found that British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Tui and Wizz Air were less timely in the 12 months leading up to April’s end than they were in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Tui was identified as the worst performer among the airlines included in the study, which utilised Civil Aviation Authority data. Only 59.2 per cent of Tui’s UK departures took off within 15 minutes of their scheduled time in 2024/25, a drop from 67.2 per cent in 2019.

Airlines have pointed fingers at air traffic control (ATC) staff shortages and industrial action as the main culprits for much of the disruption to their flights. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management body, has stated that the number of ATC officers in some parts of the network is 10-20 per cent below what is needed to manage demand.

Analysis by Which? found British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Tui and Wizz Air were less punctual in the 12 months to the end of April than in 2019(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

However, Nats, the UK ATC provider, maintains that it is fully staffed.

Airlines are not obligated to compensate for delays outside their control – such as ATC issues – and in some cases, passengers may struggle to determine the true cause of disruption.

Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel magazine, commented: “Our analysis shows that many airlines are less punctual than before the pandemic, which will come as no surprise to those travellers who have experienced delays.

“Airlines need to improve how they communicate with and support passengers during delays, ensuring they inform travellers about their right to claim compensation.

“Thousands of travellers could be entitled to compensation if they have faced delays, so it is always worth putting a claim in with your airline and escalating the complaint if it refuses to pay compensation.”

British Airways passengers were the least affected by delays of the major airlines(Image: Ceri Breeze via Getty Images)

Here are the percentages of UK departures within 15 minutes of the schedule for six airlines in 2024/25 and 2019:

British Airways: 68.7% in 2024/25, down from 71.5% in 2019
Jet2: 68.0% in 2024/25, a significant drop from 81.8% in 2019
EasyJet: 67.8% in 2024/25, slightly down from 70.6% in 2019
Ryanair: 66.5% in 2024/25, down from 77.8% in 2019
Wizz Air: 66.0% in 2024/25, almost the same as 66.8% in 2019
Tui: 59.2% in 2024/25, 67.2% in 2019

Tui stated that punctuality remains a top priority, though ensuring flights aren’t cancelled is “even more important” since holidaymakers “want to fly to their destination”.

EasyJet confirmed it does “all possible” to reduce delays, whilst Wizz Air explained that certain delays are beyond its control and it does “whatever we can to avoid cancellations”.

British Airways, Jet2 and Ryanair chose not to provide comment.

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