UK FLIGHT DELAY INDEX

derived from CAA punctuality statistics for UK reporting airports

How often are these flights late or cancelled?

LHR ↔ CORK

In the twelve months from July 2025 to June 2026, 13.4% of 1,455 movements arriving into LHR were disrupted — that is, they landed more than fifteen minutes late or were cancelled at short notice.

Put the other way round, 86.6% of 1,455 movements arrived on time by the industry's fifteen-minute standard. Severe delays were rarer: about one arrival in every 1,455 crossed the three-hour mark. Lower is better on every figure on this page. These numbers describe what happened on the route; they are not a prediction for any individual flight.

Definitions, denominators and limits
  • “Disrupted” means an arrival more than fifteen minutes late or a short-notice cancellation. The denominator is operated movements plus short-notice cancellations.
  • Arrivals into the UK airport only; all published carriers.
  • Crossing three hours is one condition for compensation, but monthly data cannot establish any individual passenger’s rights.
  • Delay cause is not published in the open data.
  • Source: CAA punctuality statistics · snapshot 17/08/2026 10:24 · method route-record-v2.1.

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

In the twelve months from July 2025 to June 2026, 13.4% of 1,455 movements were disrupted and 0.7% of 1,455 movements were cancelled at short notice.

When a flight was late, it was typically late by the range shown below. The delay is given as a range, not a single number, because the regulator rounds its published percentages and never says how many flights landed exactly on time.

Disruption shareShort-notice cancellationsAverage delay among delayed flights only — boundsOperations
13.4% of 1,455 movements0.7% of 1,455 movements16.5–55.4 min; N of delayed flights=185–5321,455
Definitions, denominators and limits

The bounds account for CAA rounding and the unknown number of zero delays. A point average across all operated movements, including punctual ones, would answer a different question and is not used here.

When it is late, how late is it?

Most delays here are short. The ladder below shows how many arrivals crossed each threshold, from a quarter of an hour up to six hours; each rung can only be smaller than the one above it.

Cancellations are counted separately: 0.7% of 1,455 movements. “One in N” means how many arrivals you would typically see between events at that level.

Delay threshold ladder; count and share of known operations15 min12.7%30 min6.0%60 min2.3%120 min0.4%180 min0.1%360 min0.0%
Delay ladder table: share, movements and one-in-N
DelayShare and nMovementsOne delay in every N operations
>15 min12.7% of 1,455 movements1857.9
>30 min6.0% of 1,455 movements8816.5
>60 min2.3% of 1,455 movements3344.1
>120 min0.4% of 1,455 movements6242.5
>180 min0.1% of 1,455 movements11,455.0
>360 minno events in 1,455 movements0no observed events, which is not zero risk
Definitions, denominators and limits

CAA counts delays strictly greater than each threshold, so exactly three hours is inseparable from the previous bucket. The ladder describes the archive, not a forecast.

Slightly late, or occasionally a disaster?

When this route runs late, it is usually only a little late: big blow-ups are rarer here than on the typical UK route.

The histogram below counts every recorded arrival, from more than fifteen minutes early through to more than six hours late. A tall bar near the middle and a thin right-hand tail is the healthy shape.

Nine delay buckets, minutes; share of all recorded operations>15 early24717.0%15–1 early66645.8%0–15 late34723.8%16–30976.7%31–60553.8%61…120271.9%121…18050.3%181…36010.1%>36000.0%D=1,455
Definitions, denominators and limits

Ratio of the long tail to sixteen-to-sixty-minute delays: 0.0066; corpus median 0.0217; 2056 routes in the corpus. The shape is compared conditionally among delays; the class name does not measure absolute frequency. Histogram counts and shares cover all recorded operations including unmatched records; reconstructed uniquely.

Has this route got better or worse since 2018?

Best month: Jan 2022, no events in 55 movements. Worst month: Dec 2024, 42.0% of 119 movements.

The line traces every month in the archive; lower is better. Gaps are months with no published data, never zeros. The 2020 and 2021 readings reflect the pandemic, not normal service.

Monthly disruption share; gaps mean no published dataJan 2018: 7.4%; sample: 1212018Feb 2018: 14.4%; sample: 111Mar 2018: 16.7%; sample: 126Apr 2018: 19.4%; sample: 129May 2018: 5.0%; sample: 139Jun 2018: 4.5%; sample: 134Jul 2018: 7.8%; sample: 141Aug 2018: 2.8%; sample: 142Sep 2018: 2.3%; sample: 132Oct 2018: 19.9%; sample: 136Nov 2018: 25.0%; sample: 120Dec 2018: 15.0%; sample: 120Jan 2019: 2.5%; sample: 1222019Feb 2019: 15.2%; sample: 112Mar 2019: 18.5%; sample: 124Apr 2019: 10.8%; sample: 120May 2019: 3.2%; sample: 124Jun 2019: 20.8%; sample: 120Jul 2019: 9.7%; sample: 124Aug 2019: 11.3%; sample: 124Sep 2019: 8.3%; sample: 120Oct 2019: 8.1%; sample: 124Nov 2019: 11.7%; sample: 120Dec 2019: 15.0%; sample: 120Jan 2020: 5.8%; sample: 1212020Feb 2020: 29.6%; sample: 115Mar 2020: 1.8%; sample: 113Apr 2020: 0.0%; sample: 23May 2020: 0.0%; sample: 22Jun 2020: 0.0%; sample: 24Jul 2020: 0.0%; sample: 31Aug 2020: 0.0%; sample: 31Sep 2020: 0.0%; sample: 30Oct 2020: 0.0%; sample: 33Nov 2020: 0.0%; sample: 20Dec 2020: 5.0%; sample: 20Jan 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: 3.7%; sample: 27Jun 2021: 0.0%; sample: 27Jul 2021: 0.0%; sample: 36Aug 2021: 2.2%; sample: 45Sep 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Oct 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Nov 2021: suppressed: fewer than twenty movements×Dec 2021: 11.1%; sample: 72Jan 2022: 0.0%; sample: 552022Feb 2022: 9.1%; sample: 55Mar 2022: 5.5%; sample: 91Apr 2022: 8.3%; sample: 120May 2022: 5.6%; sample: 124Jun 2022: 10.8%; sample: 120Jul 2022: 13.0%; sample: 108Aug 2022: 6.9%; sample: 102Sep 2022: 21.2%; sample: 99Oct 2022: 9.7%; sample: 103Nov 2022: 8.0%; sample: 112Dec 2022: 21.6%; sample: 111Jan 2023: 12.2%; sample: 1152023Feb 2023: 6.7%; sample: 104Mar 2023: 16.2%; sample: 117Apr 2023: 1.7%; sample: 120May 2023: 10.5%; sample: 124Jun 2023: 15.0%; sample: 120Jul 2023: 9.7%; sample: 124Aug 2023: 8.9%; sample: 124Sep 2023: 11.1%; sample: 117Oct 2023: 15.9%; sample: 107Nov 2023: 9.2%; sample: 120Dec 2023: 31.9%; sample: 119Jan 2024: 13.0%; sample: 1152024Feb 2024: 18.1%; sample: 116Mar 2024: 22.6%; sample: 124Apr 2024: 26.7%; sample: 120May 2024: 36.3%; sample: 124Jun 2024: 14.9%; sample: 114Jul 2024: 16.7%; sample: 108Aug 2024: 12.9%; sample: 124Sep 2024: 36.7%; sample: 120Oct 2024: 21.0%; sample: 124Nov 2024: 27.5%; sample: 120Dec 2024: 42.0%; sample: 119Jan 2025: 19.4%; sample: 1242025Feb 2025: 10.7%; sample: 112Mar 2025: 11.3%; sample: 124Apr 2025: 4.2%; sample: 120May 2025: 5.6%; sample: 124Jun 2025: 5.8%; sample: 120Jul 2025: 9.7%; sample: 124Aug 2025: 4.0%; sample: 124Sep 2025: 20.8%; sample: 120Oct 2025: 4.0%; sample: 124Nov 2025: 20.8%; sample: 120Dec 2025: 32.8%; sample: 119Jan 2026: 18.5%; sample: 1242026Feb 2026: 12.5%; sample: 112Mar 2026: 15.3%; sample: 124Apr 2026: 8.3%; sample: 120May 2026: 10.5%; sample: 124Jun 2026: 4.2%; sample: 120Pandemic regime Jun 2020Summer 2022 breakdown Jul 2022NATS system failure Aug 2023Heathrow fire closure Mar 2025100%0%
Every month since 2018, including gaps and suppressed cells
MonthDisruption on arrivals
Jan 20187.4% of 121 movements
Feb 201814.4% of 111 movements
Mar 201816.7% of 126 movements
Apr 201819.4% of 129 movements
May 20185.0% of 139 movements
Jun 20184.5% of 134 movements
Jul 20187.8% of 141 movements
Aug 20182.8% of 142 movements
Sep 20182.3% of 132 movements
Oct 201819.9% of 136 movements
Nov 201825.0% of 120 movements
Dec 201815.0% of 120 movements
Jan 20192.5% of 122 movements
Feb 201915.2% of 112 movements
Mar 201918.5% of 124 movements
Apr 201910.8% of 120 movements
May 20193.2% of 124 movements
Jun 201920.8% of 120 movements
Jul 20199.7% of 124 movements
Aug 201911.3% of 124 movements
Sep 20198.3% of 120 movements
Oct 20198.1% of 124 movements
Nov 201911.7% of 120 movements
Dec 201915.0% of 120 movements
Jan 20205.8% of 121 movements
Feb 202029.6% of 115 movements
Mar 20201.8% of 113 movements
Apr 2020no events in 23 movements — small sample, not ranked
May 2020no events in 22 movements — small sample, not ranked
Jun 2020no events in 24 movements — small sample, not ranked
Jul 2020no events in 31 movements — small sample, not ranked
Aug 2020no events in 31 movements — small sample, not ranked
Sep 2020no events in 30 movements — small sample, not ranked
Oct 2020no events in 33 movements — small sample, not ranked
Nov 2020no events in 20 movements — small sample, not ranked
Dec 20205.0% of 20 movements — small sample, not ranked
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 20213.7% of 27 movements — small sample, not ranked
Jun 2021no events in 27 movements — small sample, not ranked
Jul 2021no events in 36 movements — small sample, not ranked
Aug 20212.2% of 45 movements — small sample, not ranked
Sep 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Oct 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Nov 2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movements
Dec 202111.1% of 72 movements
Jan 2022no events in 55 movements
Feb 20229.1% of 55 movements
Mar 20225.5% of 91 movements
Apr 20228.3% of 120 movements
May 20225.6% of 124 movements
Jun 202210.8% of 120 movements
Jul 202213.0% of 108 movements
Aug 20226.9% of 102 movements
Sep 202221.2% of 99 movements
Oct 20229.7% of 103 movements
Nov 20228.0% of 112 movements
Dec 202221.6% of 111 movements
Jan 202312.2% of 115 movements
Feb 20236.7% of 104 movements
Mar 202316.2% of 117 movements
Apr 20231.7% of 120 movements
May 202310.5% of 124 movements
Jun 202315.0% of 120 movements
Jul 20239.7% of 124 movements
Aug 20238.9% of 124 movements
Sep 202311.1% of 117 movements
Oct 202315.9% of 107 movements
Nov 20239.2% of 120 movements
Dec 202331.9% of 119 movements
Jan 202413.0% of 115 movements
Feb 202418.1% of 116 movements
Mar 202422.6% of 124 movements
Apr 202426.7% of 120 movements
May 202436.3% of 124 movements
Jun 202414.9% of 114 movements
Jul 202416.7% of 108 movements
Aug 202412.9% of 124 movements
Sep 202436.7% of 120 movements
Oct 202421.0% of 124 movements
Nov 202427.5% of 120 movements
Dec 202442.0% of 119 movements
Jan 202519.4% of 124 movements
Feb 202510.7% of 112 movements
Mar 202511.3% of 124 movements
Apr 20254.2% of 120 movements
May 20255.6% of 124 movements
Jun 20255.8% of 120 movements
Jul 20259.7% of 124 movements
Aug 20254.0% of 124 movements
Sep 202520.8% of 120 movements
Oct 20254.0% of 124 movements
Nov 202520.8% of 120 movements
Dec 202532.8% of 119 movements
Jan 202618.5% of 124 movements
Feb 202612.5% of 112 movements
Mar 202615.3% of 124 movements
Apr 20268.3% of 120 movements
May 202610.5% of 124 movements
Jun 20264.2% of 120 movements

What did the big disruptions actually do here?

Each named event below is shown against this route’s own baseline for the twelve months before it, and against how long the route took to get back to that baseline.

A month worse than baseline is not proof the named event caused it: the open data carry no delay-cause field at all. Some events sit near the edge of the archive, which limits how long a recovery can be traced.

EventDirectionDisruption that monthBaseline beforeReturn to baseline
Pandemic regime · Jun 2020Arrivalsno events in 24 movements — small sample, not ranked10.2% across 1,246 flightsreturned the next month
Pandemic regime · Jun 2020Departures4.2% of 24 movements — small sample, not ranked12.2% across 1,247 flightsreturned the next month
Summer 2022 breakdown · Jul 2022Arrivals13.0% of 108 movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
Summer 2022 breakdown · Jul 2022Departures17.8% of 107 movementsno complete baselinenot enough data: needs a complete baseline and a publishable event month
NATS system failure · Aug 2023Arrivals8.9% of 124 movements11.6% across 1,351 flightsreturned the next month
NATS system failure · Aug 2023Departures15.3% of 124 movements17.7% across 1,350 flightsreturned after 3 months
Heathrow fire closure · Mar 2025Arrivals11.3% of 124 movements23.9% across 1,433 flightsreturned the next month
Heathrow fire closure · Mar 2025Departures12.9% of 124 movements25.3% across 1,433 flightsreturned the next month
Definitions, denominators and limits

The baseline is the unweighted mean share over the twelve preceding calendar months. The return window is the following eight months, up to the end of the archive. Return means the first observed value at or below the baseline; it is not the duration of the disruption itself. If the event month is already below the baseline, counting still starts the month after. Gaps and suppressed cells are not treated as zeros or as recovery.

Which time of year has historically been hardest?

December has historically been the hardest month on this route: in a typical December, 26.8% of arrivals were disrupted, measured across 6 Decembers in the archive. May has been the calmest, at 5.6% across 7 Mays.

Even December has ranged from 15.0% to 42.0% in different years, so this is a record of what happened, not a forecast of what will. Lower is better throughout.

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 nJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec20192.5% of 122 movements15.2% of 112 movements18.5% of 124 movements10.8% of 120 movements3.2% of 124 movements20.8% of 120 movements9.7% of 124 movements11.3% of 124 movements8.3% of 120 movements8.1% of 124 movements11.7% of 120 movements15.0% of 120 movements20205.8% of 121 movements29.6% of 115 movements1.8% of 113 movementsno events in 23 movements †no events in 22 movements †no events in 24 movements †no events in 31 movements †no events in 31 movements †no events in 30 movements †no events in 33 movements †no events in 20 movements †5.0% of 20 movements †2021suppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movements3.7% of 27 movements †no events in 27 movements †no events in 36 movements †2.2% of 45 movements †suppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movements11.1% of 72 movements2022no events in 55 movements9.1% of 55 movements5.5% of 91 movements8.3% of 120 movements5.6% of 124 movements10.8% of 120 movements13.0% of 108 movements6.9% of 102 movements21.2% of 99 movements9.7% of 103 movements8.0% of 112 movements21.6% of 111 movements202312.2% of 115 movements6.7% of 104 movements16.2% of 117 movements1.7% of 120 movements10.5% of 124 movements15.0% of 120 movements9.7% of 124 movements8.9% of 124 movements11.1% of 117 movements15.9% of 107 movements9.2% of 120 movements31.9% of 119 movements202413.0% of 115 movements18.1% of 116 movements22.6% of 124 movements26.7% of 120 movements36.3% of 124 movements14.9% of 114 movements16.7% of 108 movements12.9% of 124 movements36.7% of 120 movements21.0% of 124 movements27.5% of 120 movements42.0% of 119 movements202519.4% of 124 movements10.7% of 112 movements11.3% of 124 movements4.2% of 120 movements5.6% of 124 movements5.8% of 120 movements9.7% of 124 movements4.0% of 124 movements20.8% of 120 movements4.0% of 124 movements20.8% of 120 movements32.8% of 119 movements202618.5% of 124 movements12.5% of 112 movements15.3% of 124 movements8.3% of 120 movements10.5% of 124 movements4.2% of 120 movementsno datano datano datano datano datano data
Month-by-month table: median, observed range and sample
MonthMedianObserved rangeSample
Jan12.2%0.0–19.4%7 months, 776 flights
Feb12.5%6.7–18.1%7 months, 722 flights
Mar16.2%5.5–22.6%7 months, 830 flights
Apr8.3%1.7–26.7%7 months, 849 flights
May5.6%3.2–36.3%7 months, 883 flights
Jun10.8%4.2–20.8%7 months, 848 flights
Jul9.7%7.8–16.7%6 months, 729 flights
Aug7.9%2.8–12.9%6 months, 740 flights
Sep16.0%2.3–36.7%6 months, 708 flights
Oct12.8%4.0–21.0%6 months, 718 flights
Nov16.2%8.0–27.5%6 months, 712 flights
Dec26.8%15.0–42.0%6 months, 708 flights
Definitions, denominators and limits

The matrix shows the last eight calendar years, including an incomplete final year; the start of the archive is kept in the history above. Seasonal summaries use the whole available archive, excluding the pandemic regime 2020–2021; this is an observed range, not a forecast. Zero events, missing data and suppressed cells are marked separately. † marks a small sample, described but not ranked. For ranges the colour follows the upper bound.

Which airline has the better record here?

Only one carrier published enough flights here to report: Aer Lingus, 13.4% of 1,455 movements disrupted.

Figures cover arrivals, July 2025 to June 2026; lower is better in every column. Carriers with fewer than twenty published flights are suppressed rather than shown as zero. The page makes no ranking: the operations behind these shares are not matched for aircraft, time of day or season.

Observed disruption share by optionAer Lingus13.4% of 1,455 flights
Airline comparison table: operations, cancellations, three-hour delays and data quality
AirlineOperationsDisruptionCancellations>180 minData quality
Aer Lingus1,45513.4% of 1,455 movements0.7% of 1,455 movements0.1% of 1,455 movementsdescriptive comparison

The noise check is a descriptive approximation assuming independent operations. Delay correlation and mix differences are not estimated; no ranking is derived.

Would another UK airport have been better?

Among UK airports flying to this city with enough flights to publish, LGW had the lowest disruption share at 9.9% of 363 movements and LTN the highest at 36.5% of 260 movements. This route sits at 13.4% of 1,455 movements.

Each figure is arrivals into that UK airport, all carriers combined, over the same twelve months. It is a historical record, not a recommendation about where to fly from, and it says nothing about getting to or from each airport on the ground.

Observed disruption share by optionBhx ↔ Cork21.2% of 250 flightsBrs ↔ Cork19.0% of 464 flightsEdi ↔ Cork32.0% of 438 flightsGla ↔ Cork20.9% of 220 flightsLgw ↔ Cork9.9% of 363 flightsLpl ↔ Cork15.2% of 230 flightsLtn ↔ Cork36.5% of 260 flightsMan ↔ Cork20.1% of 698 flights
Airport comparison table: operations, cancellations, three-hour delays and data quality
Other UK airport to the same cityOperationsDisruptionCancellations>180 minData quality
Abz ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Bfs ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Bhd ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Bhx ↔ Cork25021.2% of 250 movementsno events in 250 movements0.4% of 250 movementsdescriptive comparison
Boh ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Brs ↔ Cork46419.0% of 464 movements2.2% of 464 movements1.3% of 464 movementsdescriptive comparison
Cwl ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Doncaster-Sheffield ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Durham-Tees-Valley ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Edi ↔ Cork43832.0% of 438 movementsno events in 438 movements0.2% of 438 movementsdescriptive comparison
Ema ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Ext ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Gla ↔ Cork22020.9% of 220 movements2.3% of 220 movementsno events in 220 movementsdescriptive comparison
Iom ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Jer ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Lba ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Lcy ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Lgw ↔ Cork3639.9% of 363 movementsno events in 363 movements0.3% of 363 movementsdescriptive comparison
Lpl ↔ Cork23015.2% of 230 movementsno events in 230 movements0.4% of 230 movementsdescriptive comparison
Ltn ↔ Cork26036.5% of 260 movementsno events in 260 movements0.8% of 260 movementsdescriptive comparison
Man ↔ Cork69820.1% of 698 movements0.1% of 698 movements0.4% of 698 movementsdescriptive comparison
Ncl ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Sou ↔ Corksuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed: fewer than twenty movementssuppressed
Stn ↔ Cork1,02022.3% of 1,020 movements0.1% of 1,020 movements0.9% of 1,020 movementsdescriptive comparison

Does the direction you are flying change anything?

Barely: arrivals into LHR ran 13.4% of 1,455 movements disrupted, departures 15.1% of 1,455 movements.

It matters legally as well as practically: a departure from the UK and an arrival into the UK on a UK or EU carrier fall under different conditions, and a departure delay does not establish a late arrival at your final destination.

Arrivals and departures side by side
DirectionDisruptionCancellationsOver three hours
Arrivals into LHR13.4% of 1,455 movements0.7% of 1,455 movements0.1% of 1,455 movements
Departures from LHR15.1% of 1,455 movements0.8% of 1,455 movements0.1% of 1,455 movements
Definitions, denominators and limits

CAA conditions on delays and cancellations.

How many flights here crossed the three-hour mark?

The table below counts arrivals and departures that ran more than three hours late — the threshold that is one of the conditions for compensation — across the whole archive and within the last six years.

The pound figure beside each count is arithmetic, not money anyone received: it is the count multiplied by the maximum statutory amount for this distance band. Whether any of those flights actually qualified is not knowable from this data.

DirectionWindowFlights over three hoursArithmetic statutory ceiling
ArrivalsWhole archive · Jan 2018–Jun 20268 flights out of 10,1038 × £220 = £1,760
ArrivalsLast 72 months · Jul 2020–Jun 20266 flights out of 6,6806 × £220 = £1,320
DeparturesWhole archive · Jan 2018–Jun 202610 flights out of 10,09110 × £220 = £2,200
DeparturesLast 72 months · Jul 2020–Jun 20267 flights out of 6,6677 × £220 = £1,540
Definitions, denominators and limits

Full formula: the count is the sum of the two tail buckets across months, carriers and service types in one direction; the ceiling is that count multiplied by the maximum statutory amount for the distance band. The condition is: if every such delay had been the carrier's fault and a claim had been filed on every one of them.

This is conditional arithmetic over operations: passenger numbers, legal applicability and the number of claims are all unknown. For departures it is an arithmetic scenario only, because arrival at the final point is not observed. For long routes the maximum ceiling is used; any reduction in the payable amount is not calculated.

The archive window is counted from the last month of data, not from today: this is not a limitation check for an individual case. The CAA states six years for England and Wales and five for Scotland. CAA: time limits and how to complain. Information, not a legal service.

The facts about this route

Route reference table: codes, distance, frequency, archive span
FieldValue
UK airportHEATHROW · LHR
Final point / countryCORK / IRISH REPUBLIC
Final point codesORK / EICK
Great-circle distance555 km
Maximum statutory amount for the band£220
Average operated arrivals per day3.96
Presence in the latest twelve-month windowoperations present in every month of the latest twelve-month window
First and last active monthJan 2018–Jun 2026
Months with operations in the archive101

origin_destination is the final point of the CAA service, not evidence of a nonstop connection. The distance joins the coordinates of the named airports; the actual track is unknown. Frequency describes published operations.

What this data cannot tell you

Delay cause is not published in the regulator's open data. Monthly aggregates describe a population, not a specific flight. Cells below twenty operations are suppressed; twenty to forty-nine are descriptive only and not ranked. Arrivals and departures do not add up. Cancellations are short-notice only, by the CAA definition. A movement is not the same as a scheduled flight.

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.

Data-quality counters for this route

Zero observed events does not mean zero risk. Operator coverage against the Summary file is not established in this record; comparisons are limited to the published population.

Unmatched records: 0; all recorded operations: 1,455; excluded by quarantine: 0.

Quick answers

How often is this route disrupted?

13.4% of 1,455 movements over July 2025 to June 2026. Arrivals into the UK airport; all published carriers.

How many flights are cancelled at short notice?

0.7% of 1,455 movements in the same window.

How many delays crossed three hours?

0.1% of 1,455 movements in the same window; these are observed movements, not a count of claims.

What does the delay distribution look like?

chronically slightly late. The class compares the tail with short delays across routes in the corpus.

What distance is used?

555 km, great-circle.

Can compensation entitlement be established here?

No. The cause and the circumstances of an individual flight are unknown. Official CAA conditions.

Why do some cells say "no data"?

That month is absent from the published series. Small cells carry a separate "suppressed" marker; a gap is never replaced by a zero.

How this was calculated

Dataset version, input hashes and reconstruction rules

Dataset version: 396da8dde2874f14; method route-record-v2.1.

Versioned register of every number and the entity map · Input hashes · Correction log · Reconstruction and formulas.

Reconstruction: integer counts inside the rounding bounds of shares of D, summing to M. Ambiguity is preserved as a range of feasible counts; non-convergence stays in quarantine. The map of codes and coordinates is pinned by hash alongside the data. Raw CSV files are not included in the published output.

Your trip has already gone wrong — what now?

The official route to complain

Contact the airline first, then the relevant ADR body or the CAA. The right to care is assessed separately from compensation; time limits and circumstances are checked case by case. CAA: how to complain.

Reconstruction and formulas

Open the versioned claim register

Was your flight delayed 3h+? Check what you may be owed

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