Charter carriers’ on-time performance slumps
Charter airline punctuality dropped in the last quarter of 2004 and delays increased.
Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority for the last three months of the year show a decline in the proportion of on-time charter flights to 70% from 74% the same period in 2003.
The average delay rose from 19 minutes in 2003 to 23 minutes in 2004. The on-time performance fell at five of the eight CAA monitored airports where there are significant charter operations. On-time performance at Stansted was unchanged, while it improved at Birmingham and Newcastle.
The quarterly on-time performance (defined as early to 15 minutes late) of scheduled airlines remained at 75 per cent, the same level as in the last quarter of 2003.
Of the 10 monitored airports, Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester recorded a drop in scheduled punctuality while Stansted, London City, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Newcastle improved. The on-time performance for the quarter ranged from 67% at Heathrow to 84% at Newcastle.
The average delay across the scheduled flights at the 10 airports was 14 minutes, the same as in 2003.
The total number of flights operated during the October-December period was three per cent higher than in the corresponding period in 2003.
The CAA said: “Punctuality for 2004 as a whole, compared with 2003, broadly mirrored the picture in the last quarter, with little change for scheduled services but a decline for charters.
“For scheduled airlines, the on-time performance declined from 76% in 2003 to 75% in 2004 while the average delay remained the same at 14 minutes.
“For charter airlines, punctuality fell from 74% in 2003 to 70% in 2004 and the average delay rose from 20 minutes to 23 minutes.”
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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