Worst UK airports for Easter travel revealed

Spring is finally here, and while the UK is always tempting this time of year, a few days off is the perfect excuse to explore a bit further afield. With Venice already bursting at the seams, you might be eyeing Paris, a quiet spa retreat, or somewhere a little less obvious. But before you jet off this Easter, our latest study reveals which UK airports could make your journey a lot less smooth.

Birmingham Airport has been revealed as the UK’s worst airport for delays ahead of the Easter getaway, according to new analysis made by our curious team at Locals Insider.

Highlights:

• Birmingham Airport records highest delay rate, with 29.9% of April flights departing over 15 minutes late
• Manchester (29.8%), London Stansted (29.7%) and London Luton (29.7%) also among worst
• More than 650,000 flights analysed across past four Aprils (2022-25)
• Belfast City Airport, East Midlands and London City among most reliable

Our study, based on Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data from April periods between 2022 and 2025, analysed more than 650,000 flights to identify where passengers are most likely to face disruption during one of the busiest travel windows of the year. Each April was selected to reflect travel patterns during the Easter holiday period following the return to full capacity after the COVID-19 pandemic.

We found that nearly three in ten flights (29.9%) departing Birmingham in April were delayed by more than 15 minutes – the highest proportion of any UK airport.

Close behind are Manchester Airport (29.8%), London Stansted Airport (29.7%) and London Luton Airport (29.7%), highlighting consistent disruption at some of the country’s busiest travel hubs during the Easter period in recent years.

Other major airports including Edinburgh Airport (27.2%) and Bristol Airport (27.0%) also recorded delay rates affecting more than a quarter of April flights, while Bournemouth Airport (26.9%) ranked similarly despite handling significantly fewer passengers.

Major London hubs sit mid-table, with Heathrow Airport (26.4%) and Gatwick Airport (26.0%) both experiencing delays for more than a quarter of flights on average each April across the four-year period.

Elsewhere, Newcastle Airport (25.8%) and Teesside International Airport (24.6%) highlight disruption levels across the North East, while airports such as Liverpool John Lennon Airport (21.5%) and Leeds Bradford Airport (21.2%) performed comparatively better during the same period.

At the other end of the table, Belfast City Airport (17.6%), East Midlands Airport (17.8%) and London City Airport (18.4%) ranked among the most reliable airports, with significantly lower delay rates across April travel in recent years.

UK Airport Delay Percentage – April 2022-25

With Easter falling during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, millions of passengers will be heading through UK airports over a short space of time – and our analysis of the past four Aprils shows that disruption is a very real risk at some of the country’s biggest hubs.

Airports like Birmingham, Manchester and London Stansted are seeing close to three in ten flights delayed throughout April in recent years, which can have a significant knock-on effect during peak holiday getaways.

For travellers heading away this Easter, even minor delays can quickly escalate when airports are operating at full capacity. Major gateways such as Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport may appear more stable on paper, but they are still seeing disruption affect more than a quarter of flights on average each April – meaning passengers should allow extra time and plan accordingly.

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