Tui Airways has been ranked among the many worst airways for UK flight punctuality, with one route experiencing common delays exceeding 45 minutes.
Evaluation of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) information revealed the service’s departures from UK airports had been a median of 20 minutes and 24 seconds delayed in 2025.
The least punctual of its routes with at the least 100 flights was from Birmingham to the Greek island of Zante, which had a median delay of 46 minutes.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, stated it was “unacceptable” that airline passengers “proceed to face unreliable service” amid fare rises.
“Airways should do extra to help travellers throughout delays, together with clearly speaking their rights and eligibility for compensation,” he stated.
“It’s value placing in a declare together with your airline in case you assume it’s accountable – and escalating the grievance if it refuses to pay.”
Tui Airways is owned by Tui Group, which additionally operates the UK’s second largest bundle vacation firm. A lot of its vacation prospects use the airline, which serves greater than 20 UK airports.
The punctuality evaluation took under consideration all scheduled and chartered departures from UK airports by the 34 airways which operated greater than 2,500 of those flights final yr. Cancelled flights weren’t included.
Aage Dunhaupt, Tui Group’s director of communications, stated: “We totally perceive that for holidaymakers, each minute counts.
“Minimising delays stays a high precedence, and our groups work constantly to enhance operational efficiency throughout our community.”
Mr Dunhaupt stated the airline makes “a acutely aware alternative” to function flights “wherever potential, even when they’re delayed, reasonably than cancelling them”, as this ensures passengers attain their vacation spot “reasonably than going through the chance of prolonged disruption”.
He added: “If we had been to comply with broader business practices of cancelling flights extra readily, our punctuality rating would enhance considerably.
“Nonetheless, this could come on the expense of our prospects.”
Tui Airways was ranked the fifth worst airline for punctuality.
Tui Airways has been ranked among the many worst airways for UK flight punctuality
Alamy/PA
Air India had the poorest document for the second yr in a row, with a median delay of 36 minutes and 36 seconds.
It was adopted by Blue Islands (25 minutes and 12 seconds) – a regional airline based mostly within the Channel Islands which collapsed in November 2025 – TAP Air Portugal (23 minutes) and Saudia (21 minutes and 18 seconds).
Scandinavian Airlines recorded one of the best efficiency final yr, with UK departures delayed by a median of eight minutes, forward of Virgin Atlantic (11 minutes).
The typical delay for airways included within the evaluation was 14 minutes and 48 seconds, down from 18 minutes and 18 seconds in 2024.
Flight delays occur for a lot of causes, together with components inside and past airways’ management.
CAA director Tim Johnson stated lengthy hold-ups “could cause important disruption and inconvenience for passengers”.
He added: “We recognise the impression this may have, which is why there are guidelines in place to guard passengers.
“Airways are anticipated to minimise the impression of delays the place potential, by offering well timed info and upholding passengers’ rights throughout disruption.”
Relying on the space of the route and size of delay, passengers booked on flights from the UK which might be operating delayed are entitled to help similar to an inexpensive quantity of food and drinks, a way to speak and in a single day lodging if required.
Passengers may additionally be capable to declare compensation of as much as £520 from the airline if the rationale for the delay is deemed inside its management, which could possibly be a fault with the plane or pilot illness.
A spokesperson for Airways UK, a commerce physique for UK-registered carriers, stated: “The overwhelming majority of UK airline flights depart on time and CAA information exhibits buyer satisfaction ranges are at an all-time excessive.
“Most delays are the results of points which might be solely exterior airline management, similar to hostile climate, compelled reductions within the variety of planes which might be in a position to land and take off every hour, and industrial motion.
“When these delays do happen, airways work exhausting to help prospects and get them the place they have to be as rapidly as potential.”
Full rating of airways based mostly on UK flight punctuality (2025)
Airways are ordered from the longest common delay per departing flight to the shortest (period in brackets).
The evaluation took under consideration all scheduled and chartered departures from UK airports by airways working greater than 2,500 of those flights final yr.
- 1. Air India (36 minutes and 36 seconds)
- 2. Blue Islands (25 minutes and 12 seconds)
- 3. TAP Air Portugal (23 minutes)
- 4. Saudia (21 minutes and 18 seconds)
- 5. Tui Airways (20 minutes and 24 seconds)
- 6. SunExpress (20 minutes and 12 seconds)
- 7. Aurigny (19 minutes and 36 seconds)
- 8. Pegasus Airways (18 minutes and 36 seconds)
- 9. Swiss (17 minutes and 54 seconds)
- 10. KLM (17 minutes and 48 seconds)
- 11. Air France (17 minutes)
- 12. Vueling (16 minutes and 54 seconds)
- 13. Jet2.com (16 minutes and 36 seconds)
- 14. Wizz Air (16 minutes and 12 seconds)
- 15. Ryanair (quarter-hour and 48 seconds)
- 16. Aer Lingus (quarter-hour and 30 seconds)
- 17. Qatar (14 minutes and 54 seconds)
- 18. American Airways (14 minutes and 42 seconds)
- 19. Eurowings (14 minutes and 36 seconds)
- =19. Delta Airways (14 minutes and 36 seconds)
- 20. Emerald Airways (13 minutes and 54 seconds)
- =20. United Airways (13 minutes and 54 seconds)
- 21. EasyJet (13 minutes and 48 seconds)
- 22. Turkish Airways (13 minutes and 24 seconds)
- 23. Lufthansa (13 minutes and 12 seconds)
- 24. Emirates (13 minutes and 6 seconds)
- 25. British Airways (12 minutes and 36 seconds)
- 26. Finnair (12 minutes and 18 seconds)
- =26. Loganair (12 minutes and 18 seconds)
- 27. Norwegian (11 minutes and 48 seconds)
- 28. Iberia (11 minutes and 36 seconds)
- =28. Air Canada (11 minutes and 36 seconds)
- 29. Virgin Atlantic (11 minutes)
- 30. Scandinavian Airlines (eight minutes)
