Punctuality Rates Take Slight Nosedive at UK Airports

The punctuality of scheduled airlines at UK airports fell in the fourth quarter of 2006 compared with the same period in 2005, according to figures released by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). During the same period the punctuality of charter carriers also fell. The average delay for both scheduled and charter carriers rose to 18 and 29 minutes respectively.

Flights were adversely affected by heavy fog in December, causing disruption at both London and regional airports. Delays between 18 and 23 December –when the effects of the fog were most severe- contributed to about half of the fall in punctuality for scheduled airlines, and all of the decline for charter flights.

Between October and December 2006, the overall on-time performance (defined as early to 15 minutes late) of scheduled airlines at the ten UK airports monitored fell by five percentage points, from 73 to 68 percent.

The proportion of scheduled flights operating on time fell at all monitored airports, with the biggest reductions recorded at London City and Heathrow, which fell by nine and seven percentage points respectively.

The average delay in the fourth quarter across monitored scheduled flights rose from 15 minutes in 2005 to 18 minutes in 2006. All monitored airports experienced increased levels of average delay, with the exception of Newcastle which reduced average delays by one minute.