UK FLIGHT DELAY INDEX

derived from CAA punctuality statistics for UK reporting airports

How often are these flights late or cancelled?

Republic Of South Africa

In the twelve months from July 2025 to June 2026, 12.2% of 2,003 movements arriving into the UK were disrupted — more than fifteen minutes late or cancelled at short notice.

Put the other way round, 87.8% of 2,003 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

12.2% of 2,003 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
12.2% of 2,003 movements1.3% of 2,003 movements44.8–119.8 minutes; delayed denominator 218–5401.3% of 2,003 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?

1.3% of 2,003 movements passed the three-hour mark.

The ladder shows how many movements crossed each threshold. Cancellations are separate: 1.3% of 2,003 movements.

DelayShare and sampleOne event per movements
More than 15 minutes10.9% of 2,003 movements9.2
More than 30 minutes6.0% of 2,003 movements16.6
More than 60 minutes3.3% of 2,003 movements30.3
More than 120 minutes1.9% of 2,003 movements51.4
More than 180 minutes1.3% of 2,003 movements74.2
More than 360 minutes0.7% of 2,003 movements143.1
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?

1.9% of 2,003 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 early64932.4%15–1 early78839.3%0–15 late32216.1%16–30974.8%31–60552.7%61…120271.3%121…180120.6%181…360130.6%>360140.7%D=2,003
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: Jul 2024, 2.4% of 124 movements. Worst month: Aug 2023, 42.7% of 124 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: 19.8%; sample: 2432018Feb 2018: 20.2%; sample: 218Mar 2018: 14.1%; sample: 227Apr 2018: 9.8%; sample: 173May 2018: 12.9%; sample: 155Jun 2018: 12.7%; sample: 150Jul 2018: 10.9%; sample: 156Aug 2018: 11.0%; sample: 155Sep 2018: 18.7%; sample: 150Oct 2018: 21.0%; sample: 162Nov 2018: 17.9%; sample: 246Dec 2018: 24.3%; sample: 268Jan 2019: 17.9%; sample: 2732019Feb 2019: 15.4%; sample: 246Mar 2019: 11.5%; sample: 261Apr 2019: 18.4%; sample: 212May 2019: 12.2%; sample: 213Jun 2019: 7.7%; sample: 194Jul 2019: 9.0%; sample: 200Aug 2019: 13.0%; sample: 200Sep 2019: 13.8%; sample: 189Oct 2019: 15.5%; sample: 194Nov 2019: 15.1%; sample: 218Dec 2019: 14.5%; sample: 242Jan 2020: 11.1%; sample: 2342020Feb 2020: 24.0%; sample: 225Mar 2020: 26.7%; sample: 206Apr 2020: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×May 2020: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Jun 2020: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Jul 2020: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Aug 2020: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Sep 2020: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Oct 2020: 10.6%; sample: 66Nov 2020: 6.0%; sample: 50Dec 2020: 16.9%; sample: 65Jan 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×2021Feb 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Mar 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Apr 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×May 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Jun 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Jul 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Aug 2021: 4.5%; sample: 22Sep 2021: 13.6%; sample: 22Oct 2021: 19.4%; sample: 31Nov 2021: 26.0%; sample: 73Dec 2021: 38.4%; sample: 73Jan 2022: 15.4%; sample: 1042022Feb 2022: 17.3%; sample: 110Mar 2022: 21.1%; sample: 123Apr 2022: 18.0%; sample: 122May 2022: 12.1%; sample: 124Jun 2022: 4.3%; sample: 92Jul 2022: 8.6%; sample: 93Aug 2022: 9.0%; sample: 122Sep 2022: 5.0%; sample: 120Oct 2022: 6.5%; sample: 124Nov 2022: 8.4%; sample: 154Dec 2022: 3.2%; sample: 189Jan 2023: 7.5%; sample: 2002023Feb 2023: 11.7%; sample: 179Mar 2023: 14.8%; sample: 189Apr 2023: 20.8%; sample: 120May 2023: 26.6%; sample: 124Jun 2023: 17.9%; sample: 123Jul 2023: 14.4%; sample: 125Aug 2023: 42.7%; sample: 124Sep 2023: 15.0%; sample: 120Oct 2023: 18.5%; sample: 130Nov 2023: 24.9%; sample: 193Dec 2023: 31.1%; sample: 196Jan 2024: 23.6%; sample: 1992024Feb 2024: 23.5%; sample: 187Mar 2024: 13.5%; sample: 200Apr 2024: 14.9%; sample: 121May 2024: 10.5%; sample: 105Jun 2024: 9.2%; sample: 120Jul 2024: 2.4%; sample: 124Aug 2024: 7.3%; sample: 124Sep 2024: 9.2%; sample: 120Oct 2024: 7.5%; sample: 134Nov 2024: 13.5%; sample: 192Dec 2024: 20.4%; sample: 206Jan 2025: 15.5%; sample: 2202025Feb 2025: 9.8%; sample: 205Mar 2025: 13.7%; sample: 226Apr 2025: 16.9%; sample: 136May 2025: 7.3%; sample: 124Jun 2025: 5.8%; sample: 121Jul 2025: 8.9%; sample: 124Aug 2025: 7.2%; sample: 125Sep 2025: 8.3%; sample: 120Oct 2025: 8.0%; sample: 163Nov 2025: 17.1%; sample: 216Dec 2025: 10.7%; sample: 214Jan 2026: 9.8%; sample: 2142026Feb 2026: 12.8%; sample: 196Mar 2026: 13.7%; sample: 219Apr 2026: 19.9%; sample: 156May 2026: 14.7%; sample: 136Jun 2026: 11.7%; sample: 120Pandemic regime Jun 2020Summer 2022 breakdown Jul 2022NATS system failure Aug 2023Heathrow fire closure Mar 2025100%0%
Every monthly observation
MonthDisruption on arrivals
Jan 201819.8% of 243 movements
Feb 201820.2% of 218 movements
Mar 201814.1% of 227 movements
Apr 20189.8% of 173 movements
May 201812.9% of 155 movements
Jun 201812.7% of 150 movements
Jul 201810.9% of 156 movements
Aug 201811.0% of 155 movements
Sep 201818.7% of 150 movements
Oct 201821.0% of 162 movements
Nov 201817.9% of 246 movements
Dec 201824.3% of 268 movements
Jan 201917.9% of 273 movements
Feb 201915.4% of 246 movements
Mar 201911.5% of 261 movements
Apr 201918.4% of 212 movements
May 201912.2% of 213 movements
Jun 20197.7% of 194 movements
Jul 20199.0% of 200 movements
Aug 201913.0% of 200 movements
Sep 201913.8% of 189 movements
Oct 201915.5% of 194 movements
Nov 201915.1% of 218 movements
Dec 201914.5% of 242 movements
Jan 202011.1% of 234 movements
Feb 202024.0% of 225 movements
Mar 202026.7% of 206 movements
Apr 2020suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
May 2020suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Jun 2020suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Jul 2020suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Aug 2020suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Sep 2020suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Oct 202010.6% of 66 movements
Nov 20206.0% of 50 movements
Dec 202016.9% of 65 movements
Jan 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Feb 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Mar 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Apr 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
May 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Jun 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Jul 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Aug 20214.5% of 22 movements — small sample, not ranked
Sep 202113.6% of 22 movements — small sample, not ranked
Oct 202119.4% of 31 movements — small sample, not ranked
Nov 202126.0% of 73 movements
Dec 202138.4% of 73 movements
Jan 202215.4% of 104 movements
Feb 202217.3% of 110 movements
Mar 202221.1% of 123 movements
Apr 202218.0% of 122 movements
May 202212.1% of 124 movements
Jun 20224.3% of 92 movements
Jul 20228.6% of 93 movements
Aug 20229.0% of 122 movements
Sep 20225.0% of 120 movements
Oct 20226.5% of 124 movements
Nov 20228.4% of 154 movements
Dec 20223.2% of 189 movements
Jan 20237.5% of 200 movements
Feb 202311.7% of 179 movements
Mar 202314.8% of 189 movements
Apr 202320.8% of 120 movements
May 202326.6% of 124 movements
Jun 202317.9% of 123 movements
Jul 202314.4% of 125 movements
Aug 202342.7% of 124 movements
Sep 202315.0% of 120 movements
Oct 202318.5% of 130 movements
Nov 202324.9% of 193 movements
Dec 202331.1% of 196 movements
Jan 202423.6% of 199 movements
Feb 202423.5% of 187 movements
Mar 202413.5% of 200 movements
Apr 202414.9% of 121 movements
May 202410.5% of 105 movements
Jun 20249.2% of 120 movements
Jul 20242.4% of 124 movements
Aug 20247.3% of 124 movements
Sep 20249.2% of 120 movements
Oct 20247.5% of 134 movements
Nov 202413.5% of 192 movements
Dec 202420.4% of 206 movements
Jan 202515.5% of 220 movements
Feb 20259.8% of 205 movements
Mar 202513.7% of 226 movements
Apr 202516.9% of 136 movements
May 20257.3% of 124 movements
Jun 20255.8% of 121 movements
Jul 20258.9% of 124 movements
Aug 20257.2% of 125 movements
Sep 20258.3% of 120 movements
Oct 20258.0% of 163 movements
Nov 202517.1% of 216 movements
Dec 202510.7% of 214 movements
Jan 20269.8% of 214 movements
Feb 202612.8% of 196 movements
Mar 202613.7% of 219 movements
Apr 202619.9% of 156 movements
May 202614.7% of 136 movements
Jun 202611.7% of 120 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 2020Arrivalssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Pandemic regime · Jun 2020Departuressuppressed: fewer than twenty movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Summer 2022 breakdown · Jul 2022Arrivals8.6% of 93 movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Summer 2022 breakdown · Jul 2022Departures53.8% of 93 movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
NATS system failure · Aug 2023Arrivals42.7% of 124 movements12.2% across 1,769 flightsstill above it 8 months later
NATS system failure · Aug 2023Departures43.5% of 124 movements43.5% across 1,770 flightsreturned after 2 months
Heathrow fire closure · Mar 2025Arrivals13.7% of 226 movements11.1% across 1,871 flightsreturned after 2 months
Heathrow fire closure · Mar 2025Departures19.6% of 224 movements25.9% across 1,866 flightsreturned the next 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: Apr, 18.0% across 7 months. Lowest median: Jul, 8.9% across 6 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 nJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec201917.9% of 273 movements15.4% of 246 movements11.5% of 261 movements18.4% of 212 movements12.2% of 213 movements7.7% of 194 movements9.0% of 200 movements13.0% of 200 movements13.8% of 189 movements15.5% of 194 movements15.1% of 218 movements14.5% of 242 movements202011.1% of 234 movements24.0% of 225 movements26.7% of 206 movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movements10.6% of 66 movements6.0% of 50 movements16.9% of 65 movements2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movements4.5% of 22 movements †13.6% of 22 movements †19.4% of 31 movements †26.0% of 73 movements38.4% of 73 movements202215.4% of 104 movements17.3% of 110 movements21.1% of 123 movements18.0% of 122 movements12.1% of 124 movements4.3% of 92 movements8.6% of 93 movements9.0% of 122 movements5.0% of 120 movements6.5% of 124 movements8.4% of 154 movements3.2% of 189 movements20237.5% of 200 movements11.7% of 179 movements14.8% of 189 movements20.8% of 120 movements26.6% of 124 movements17.9% of 123 movements14.4% of 125 movements42.7% of 124 movements15.0% of 120 movements18.5% of 130 movements24.9% of 193 movements31.1% of 196 movements202423.6% of 199 movements23.5% of 187 movements13.5% of 200 movements14.9% of 121 movements10.5% of 105 movements9.2% of 120 movements2.4% of 124 movements7.3% of 124 movements9.2% of 120 movements7.5% of 134 movements13.5% of 192 movements20.4% of 206 movements202515.5% of 220 movements9.8% of 205 movements13.7% of 226 movements16.9% of 136 movements7.3% of 124 movements5.8% of 121 movements8.9% of 124 movements7.2% of 125 movements8.3% of 120 movements8.0% of 163 movements17.1% of 216 movements10.7% of 214 movements20269.8% of 214 movements12.8% of 196 movements13.7% of 219 movements19.9% of 156 movements14.7% of 136 movements11.7% of 120 movementsno datano datano datano datano datano data
Month-by-month table: median, observed range and sample
MonthMedianObserved rangeSample
Jan15.5%7.5–23.6%7 months, 1,453 flights
Feb15.4%9.8–23.5%7 months, 1,341 flights
Mar13.7%11.5–21.1%7 months, 1,445 flights
Apr18.0%9.8–20.8%7 months, 1,040 flights
May12.2%7.3–26.6%7 months, 981 flights
Jun9.2%4.3–17.9%7 months, 920 flights
Jul8.9%2.4–14.4%6 months, 822 flights
Aug10.0%7.2–42.7%6 months, 850 flights
Sep11.5%5.0–18.7%6 months, 819 flights
Oct11.7%6.5–21.0%6 months, 907 flights
Nov16.1%8.4–24.9%6 months, 1,219 flights
Dec17.4%3.2–31.1%6 months, 1,315 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: LHR ↔ CAPE-TOWN, 10.7% of 766 movements. Highest disruption: LGW ↔ CAPE-TOWN, 25.7% of 140 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 optionLhr ↔ Cape-Town10.7% of 766 flightsLhr ↔ Johannesburg11.5% of 1,097 flightsLgw ↔ Cape-Town25.7% of 140 flights
All route comparisons and sample flags
RouteDisruptionCancellationsSample flag
Heathrow ↔ Cape Town10.7% of 766 movements0.7% of 766 movementsdescriptive comparison
Heathrow ↔ Johannesburg11.5% of 1,097 movements1.6% of 1,097 movementsdescriptive comparison
LGW ↔ CAPE-TOWN25.7% of 140 movements2.1% of 140 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.

Which UK airports appear in this record?

2 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
Gatwick25.7% of 140 movementsdescriptive comparison
Heathrow11.2% of 1,863 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

12.2% of 2,003 movements arrivals were disrupted, against 24.6% of 1,999 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

1.3% of 2,003 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

Republic Of South Africa appears from Jan 2018 to Jun 2026 with 14,231 arrivals.

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

Archive route pairs: 11.

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?

12.2% of 2,003 movements over July 2025 to June 2026.

How often are they cancelled?

1.3% of 2,003 movements at short notice.

How late is late?

44.8–119.8 minutes; delayed denominator 218–540

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.