UK FLIGHT DELAY INDEX

derived from CAA punctuality statistics for UK reporting airports

How often are these flights late or cancelled?

Norwegian Air Sweden Ab

In the twelve months from July 2025 to June 2026, 18.9% of 3,673 movements arriving into the UK were disrupted — more than fifteen minutes late or cancelled at short notice.

Put the other way round, 81.1% of 3,673 movements met the fifteen-minute convention. These are historical observations, not a forecast.

Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Source: CAA punctuality statistics · snapshot 17/08/2026 10:24 · method route-record-v2.1 · Versioned claims, formulas and entity mapping.

0 operations (0.00%) excluded because their published percentages could not be reconciled to whole numbers. Excluded operations enter neither the numerator nor the denominator. Outcome figures and comparisons are unavailable when the excluded share exceeds fifteen percent.

The four numbers at a glance

18.9% of 3,673 movements were disrupted over July 2025 to June 2026.

Average delay covers delayed movements only. Its range reflects rounded source means and the unknown count of exactly punctual movements.

DisruptionShort-notice cancellationsDelay among delayed movementsOver three hours
18.9% of 3,673 movements0.5% of 3,673 movements18.0–53.0 minutes; delayed denominator 676–1,7840.1% of 3,673 movements
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

When late, how late?

0.1% of 3,673 movements passed the three-hour mark.

The ladder shows how many movements crossed each threshold. Cancellations are separate: 0.5% of 3,673 movements.

DelayShare and sampleOne event per movements
More than 15 minutes18.4% of 3,673 movements5.4
More than 30 minutes9.0% of 3,673 movements11.2
More than 60 minutes2.7% of 3,673 movements36.4
More than 120 minutes0.4% of 3,673 movements262.4
More than 180 minutes0.1% of 3,673 movements1,224.3
More than 360 minutesno events in 3,673 movementsNo observed events; this is not zero risk.
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Slightly late or occasionally a disaster?

0.4% of 3,673 movements passed two hours.

The histogram shows the published delay bands. Bucket shares use all reported operations, including unmatched records; cancellations are reported separately.

Nine delay buckets, minutes; share of all recorded operations>15 early49913.6%15–1 early1,37237.4%0–15 late1,10830.2%16–303479.4%31–602286.2%61…120872.4%121…180110.3%181…36030.1%>36000.0%D=3,673
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Better or worse since the start of the archive?

Best month: Apr 2025, 7.4% of 309 movements. Worst month: Jul 2024, 40.3% of 273 movements.

The line traces every month. Lower disruption is better; gaps are never zeros. Pandemic readings describe a different operating regime.

Monthly disruption share; gaps mean no published dataJan 2018: no data×2018Feb 2018: no data×Mar 2018: no data×Apr 2018: no data×May 2018: no data×Jun 2018: no data×Jul 2018: no data×Aug 2018: no data×Sep 2018: no data×Oct 2018: no data×Nov 2018: no data×Dec 2018: no data×Jan 2019: no data×2019Feb 2019: no data×Mar 2019: no data×Apr 2019: no data×May 2019: no data×Jun 2019: no data×Jul 2019: no data×Aug 2019: no data×Sep 2019: no data×Oct 2019: no data×Nov 2019: no data×Dec 2019: no data×Jan 2020: no data×2020Feb 2020: no data×Mar 2020: no data×Apr 2020: no data×May 2020: no data×Jun 2020: no data×Jul 2020: no data×Aug 2020: no data×Sep 2020: no data×Oct 2020: no data×Nov 2020: no data×Dec 2020: no data×Jan 2021: no data×2021Feb 2021: no data×Mar 2021: no data×Apr 2021: no data×May 2021: no data×Jun 2021: no data×Jul 2021: no data×Aug 2021: no data×Sep 2021: no data×Oct 2021: no data×Nov 2021: no data×Dec 2021: no data×Jan 2022: no data×2022Feb 2022: no data×Mar 2022: no data×Apr 2022: no data×May 2022: no data×Jun 2022: no data×Jul 2022: no data×Aug 2022: no data×Sep 2022: no data×Oct 2022: no data×Nov 2022: no data×Dec 2022: no data×Jan 2023: no data×2023Feb 2023: no data×Mar 2023: no data×Apr 2023: no data×May 2023: no data×Jun 2023: no data×Jul 2023: no data×Aug 2023: no data×Sep 2023: no data×Oct 2023: no data×Nov 2023: no data×Dec 2023: no data×Jan 2024: no data×2024Feb 2024: no data×Mar 2024: no data×Apr 2024: no data×May 2024: no data×Jun 2024: 29.5%; sample: 224Jul 2024: 40.3%; sample: 273Aug 2024: 36.7%; sample: 286Sep 2024: 36.1%; sample: 327Oct 2024: 28.0%; sample: 304Nov 2024: 18.3%; sample: 230Dec 2024: 30.0%; sample: 247Jan 2025: 22.4%; sample: 2012025Feb 2025: 16.2%; sample: 210Mar 2025: 12.2%; sample: 245Apr 2025: 7.4%; sample: 309May 2025: 9.6%; sample: 355Jun 2025: 29.4%; sample: 85Jul 2025: 23.4%; sample: 355Aug 2025: 21.8%; sample: 354Sep 2025: 33.3%; sample: 348Oct 2025: 14.2%; sample: 337Nov 2025: 12.8%; sample: 235Dec 2025: 18.0%; sample: 266Jan 2026: 22.7%; sample: 1722026Feb 2026: 19.3%; sample: 202Mar 2026: 11.7%; sample: 248Apr 2026: 9.0%; sample: 368May 2026: 10.1%; sample: 406Jun 2026: 29.1%; sample: 382Pandemic regime Jun 2020Summer 2022 breakdown Jul 2022NATS system failure Aug 2023Heathrow fire closure Mar 2025100%0%
Every monthly observation
MonthDisruption on arrivals
Jan 2018no data
Feb 2018no data
Mar 2018no data
Apr 2018no data
May 2018no data
Jun 2018no data
Jul 2018no data
Aug 2018no data
Sep 2018no data
Oct 2018no data
Nov 2018no data
Dec 2018no data
Jan 2019no data
Feb 2019no data
Mar 2019no data
Apr 2019no data
May 2019no data
Jun 2019no data
Jul 2019no data
Aug 2019no data
Sep 2019no data
Oct 2019no data
Nov 2019no data
Dec 2019no data
Jan 2020no data
Feb 2020no data
Mar 2020no data
Apr 2020no data
May 2020no data
Jun 2020no data
Jul 2020no data
Aug 2020no data
Sep 2020no data
Oct 2020no data
Nov 2020no data
Dec 2020no data
Jan 2021no data
Feb 2021no data
Mar 2021no data
Apr 2021no data
May 2021no data
Jun 2021no data
Jul 2021no data
Aug 2021no data
Sep 2021no data
Oct 2021no data
Nov 2021no data
Dec 2021no data
Jan 2022no data
Feb 2022no data
Mar 2022no data
Apr 2022no data
May 2022no data
Jun 2022no data
Jul 2022no data
Aug 2022no data
Sep 2022no data
Oct 2022no data
Nov 2022no data
Dec 2022no data
Jan 2023no data
Feb 2023no data
Mar 2023no data
Apr 2023no data
May 2023no data
Jun 2023no data
Jul 2023no data
Aug 2023no data
Sep 2023no data
Oct 2023no data
Nov 2023no data
Dec 2023no data
Jan 2024no data
Feb 2024no data
Mar 2024no data
Apr 2024no data
May 2024no data
Jun 202429.5% of 224 movements
Jul 202440.3% of 273 movements
Aug 202436.7% of 286 movements
Sep 202436.1% of 327 movements
Oct 202428.0% of 304 movements
Nov 202418.3% of 230 movements
Dec 202430.0% of 247 movements
Jan 202522.4% of 201 movements
Feb 202516.2% of 210 movements
Mar 202512.2% of 245 movements
Apr 20257.4% of 309 movements
May 20259.6% of 355 movements
Jun 202529.4% of 85 movements
Jul 202523.4% of 355 movements
Aug 202521.8% of 354 movements
Sep 202533.3% of 348 movements
Oct 202514.2% of 337 movements
Nov 202512.8% of 235 movements
Dec 202518.0% of 266 movements
Jan 202622.7% of 172 movements
Feb 202619.3% of 202 movements
Mar 202611.7% of 248 movements
Apr 20269.0% of 368 movements
May 202610.1% of 406 movements
Jun 202629.1% of 382 movements
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

What did the big disruptions do here?

Each event is compared with the twelve preceding calendar months and the first later return to baseline.

A worse month is not proof the named event caused it. The open data carry no delay-cause field. Recovery is observed for at most eight subsequent months.

EventDirectionDisruption that monthBaseline beforeReturn to baseline
Pandemic regime · Jun 2020Arrivalsno datano complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Pandemic regime · Jun 2020Departuresno datano complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Summer 2022 breakdown · Jul 2022Arrivalsno datano complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Summer 2022 breakdown · Jul 2022Departuresno datano complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
NATS system failure · Aug 2023Arrivalsno datano complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
NATS system failure · Aug 2023Departuresno datano complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Heathrow fire closure · Mar 2025Arrivals12.2% of 245 movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Heathrow fire closure · Mar 2025Departures15.5% of 245 movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Which time of year has been hardest?

Highest median: Sep, 34.7% across 2 months. Lowest median: Apr, 8.2% across 2 months.

Even the same calendar month differs across years. This is a record, not a forecast; pandemic years are excluded from the summaries.

Each cell is one calendar month of one year; the number is the share of that month’s arrivals that were disrupted. Darker means worse. A blank cell means no published data, not zero.

Seasonality: calendar month by year; share and nJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2019no datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano data2020no datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano data2021no datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano data2022no datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano data2023no datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano datano data2024no datano datano datano datano data29.5% of 224 movements40.3% of 273 movements36.7% of 286 movements36.1% of 327 movements28.0% of 304 movements18.3% of 230 movements30.0% of 247 movements202522.4% of 201 movements16.2% of 210 movements12.2% of 245 movements7.4% of 309 movements9.6% of 355 movements29.4% of 85 movements23.4% of 355 movements21.8% of 354 movements33.3% of 348 movements14.2% of 337 movements12.8% of 235 movements18.0% of 266 movements202622.7% of 172 movements19.3% of 202 movements11.7% of 248 movements9.0% of 368 movements10.1% of 406 movements29.1% of 382 movementsno datano datano datano datano datano data
Month-by-month table: median, observed range and sample
MonthMedianObserved rangeSample
Jan22.5%22.4–22.7%2 months, 373 flights
Feb17.7%16.2–19.3%2 months, 412 flights
Mar12.0%11.7–12.2%2 months, 493 flights
Apr8.2%7.4–9.0%2 months, 677 flights
May9.8%9.6–10.1%2 months, 761 flights
Jun29.4%29.1–29.5%3 months, 691 flights
Jul31.8%23.4–40.3%2 months, 628 flights
Aug29.2%21.8–36.7%2 months, 640 flights
Sep34.7%33.3–36.1%2 months, 675 flights
Oct21.1%14.2–28.0%2 months, 641 flights
Nov15.5%12.8–18.3%2 months, 465 flights
Dec24.0%18.0–30.0%2 months, 513 flights
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Which routes have the best and worst record?

Lowest disruption: NCL ↔ COPENHAGEN, 1.2% of 81 movements. Highest disruption: MAN ↔ COPENHAGEN, 36.9% of 141 movements.

The airline table uses this carrier on each route; airport and country tables combine carriers. Each figure is arrivals into its UK airport. Only sufficiently large exact samples enter the ordered comparison.

Observed disruption share by optionNcl ↔ Copenhagen1.2% of 81 flightsLgw ↔ Goteborg-Landvetter10.5% of 95 flightsLgw ↔ Billund11.9% of 261 flightsEdi ↔ Copenhagen21.5% of 311 flightsLgw ↔ Helsinki30.4% of 224 flightsMan ↔ Copenhagen36.9% of 141 flights
All route comparisons and sample flags
RouteDisruptionCancellationsSample flag
NCL ↔ COPENHAGEN1.2% of 81 movementsno events in 81 movementsdescriptive comparison
LGW ↔ GOTEBORG-LANDVETTER10.5% of 95 movements2.1% of 95 movementsdescriptive comparison
LGW ↔ BILLUND11.9% of 261 movements1.1% of 261 movementsdescriptive comparison
Gatwick ↔ Stockholm (Arlanda)15.0% of 920 movements0.5% of 920 movementsdescriptive comparison
Gatwick ↔ Oslo (Gardermoen)15.1% of 53 movementsno events in 53 movementsdescriptive comparison
Gatwick ↔ Copenhagen18.9% of 1,205 movements0.5% of 1,205 movementsdescriptive comparison
EDI ↔ STOCKHOLM-ARLANDA19.7% of 132 movements1.5% of 132 movementsdescriptive comparison
Edinburgh ↔ Copenhagen21.5% of 311 movementsno events in 311 movementsdescriptive comparison
LGW ↔ HELSINKI30.4% of 224 movementsno events in 224 movementsdescriptive comparison
Manchester ↔ Copenhagen36.9% of 141 movementsno events in 141 movementsdescriptive comparison
EDI ↔ BILLUND23.7% of 38 movements — small sample, not rankedno events in 38 movements — small sample, not rankedsmall sample; not ranked
LGW ↔ AALBORG11.1% of 27 movements — small sample, not rankedno events in 27 movements — small sample, not rankedsmall sample; not ranked
Gatwick ↔ Riga41.9% of 43 movements — small sample, not rankedno events in 43 movements — small sample, not rankedsmall sample; not ranked
LGW ↔ ROVANIEMI22.6% of 31 movements — small sample, not rankedno events in 31 movements — small sample, not rankedsmall sample; not ranked
Manchester ↔ Oslo (Gardermoen)27.5% of 40 movements — small sample, not rankedno events in 40 movements — small sample, not rankedsmall sample; not ranked
MAN ↔ STOCKHOLM-ARLANDA24.3% of 37 movements — small sample, not rankedno events in 37 movements — small sample, not rankedsmall sample; not ranked
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Which UK airports appear in this record?

4 published groups have enough arrivals to describe.

These operations are not matched for season, aircraft or time of day. The table makes no causal comparison.

UK airportDisruptionSample flag
Edinburgh21.2% of 481 movementsdescriptive comparison
Gatwick17.9% of 2,870 movementsdescriptive comparison
Manchester32.4% of 241 movementsdescriptive comparison
Newcastle1.2% of 81 movementsdescriptive comparison
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Arrivals vs departures

18.9% of 3,673 movements arrivals were disrupted, against 26.6% of 3,675 movements departures.

The directions have separate denominators. A departure delay does not establish late arrival at the final destination; legal conditions differ by direction and carrier.

Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Movements past the three-hour mark

0.1% of 3,673 movements were more than three hours late over July 2025 to June 2026.

Cancellation is counted separately and is not a three-hour delay. Monthly counts cannot establish a passenger claim.

Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Facts about this record

Norwegian Air Sweden Ab appears from Jun 2024 to Jun 2026 with 6,969 arrivals.

The bounds describe the published record, not every commercial service. Final point is not necessarily a nonstop destination.

Archive route pairs: 26.

Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

What this data cannot tell you

Delay cause, individual passenger experience, commercial decisions and future performance are not established here.

Also absent are aircraft type, within-month time-of-day splits and cancellations made ahead of the short-notice reporting window.

0 operations (0.00%) excluded because their published percentages could not be reconciled to whole numbers. Excluded operations enter neither the numerator nor the denominator. Outcome figures and comparisons are unavailable when the excluded share exceeds fifteen percent.

Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Quick answers

These answers use the same populations and window as the tables above.

Every percentage retains its denominator.

How disrupted are these arrivals?

18.9% of 3,673 movements over July 2025 to June 2026.

How often are they cancelled?

0.5% of 3,673 movements at short notice.

How late is late?

18.0–53.0 minutes; delayed denominator 676–1,784

Are services improving?

The monthly line records past changes; it is not a forecast or a causal comparison.

Which routes are compared?

The route table uses separately identified UK airport and final-point pairs, with small samples flagged.

Does this cover my flight?

Only published aggregate movements; the circumstances of any individual flight are unknown.

Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

How this was calculated

Source: CAA punctuality statistics · snapshot 17/08/2026 10:24 · method route-record-v2.1 · Versioned claims, formulas and entity mapping.

Integer bucket counts are recovered from rounding intervals over D=M+C+U with their sum constrained to M. Ambiguous counts remain ranges; failed reconciliation is quarantined.

Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.

Your trip has already gone wrong

The monthly line and events table show whether your month was typical or unusual in the published record.

Nothing here decides an individual case or what a passenger may be owed.

CAA: the official route to complain
Definitions, denominators and limits

Arrivals into UK reporting airports only unless labelled departures. Denominator: operated movements plus short-notice cancellations (M+C). A movement is not a scheduled flight. Unmatched records are data quality, not outcomes. Cells below twenty movements are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive and not ranked.