Heathrow has worst airport delays in Europe
A report in the UK’s Daily Telegraph says that London’s Heathrow has the worst delays of any airport in Europe, with passengers regularly stuck on the tarmac for half an hour, according to official figures.
Statistics from the Association of European Airlines showed that more than one flight in three left Heathrow more than 15 minutes late. Gatwick fared little better, with more than one in four departures delayed by at least 15 minutes.
The statistics on London’s two major airports are a further blow to the reputation of the Spanish-owned operators BAA.
It came after The Daily Telegraph disclosed that the company had been ordered to repay £144,000 to airlines for poor performance.
Yesterday BAA continued its management shake-up in an attempt to show it was addressing the crisis, appointing two new directors, Lord Stevens, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner and Sir Nigel Rudd, the former head of Boots.
The latest figures showed that Heathrow’s performance from April to June was about three per cent worse than the previous quarter, with delays faced by passengers at check-in and security often continuing once they are on board.
According to the report, which looked at flights within Europe, 33.8 per cent of Heathrow departures left at least 15 minutes after their scheduled take-off.
The average delay was 30.9 minutes due to equipment failure, air traffic control and planes arriving late.
The Association found that in April and June British airports – in particular Heathrow – were unable to cope with the flow of traffic for all but one day in April.
Yesterday the airport’s northern runway was blocked for 90 minutes after a Royal Brunei flight made an emergency landing.
According to British Airways, the ensuing disarray underlined the difficulties faced by the airport.
“Heathrow is the world’s most congested two-runway airport and is currently handling up to 20 million more customers a year than it was originally designed for,” said a spokesman for BA.
“There is so little slack that if any minor incidents occur there is little opportunity to catch up with any delays.”
BAA defended its performance, saying, “Over the period, one third of flights that arrived at Heathrow were behind schedule,” a spokesman said.
“When you have an airport that is running at 98.5 per cent of its runway capacity, delays to arrivals have a direct effect on departing flight times.”
“It is no coincidence that one third of departing and one third of arriving flights were delayed over the period.” “The issue, therefore, is one of capacity.”
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season