The European destination where your flight is most likely to be delayed | World | News

With the summer season almost here, Brits have already begun to plan their holidays, and the most common destinations are European cities. However, there are a few hotspots where the travellers are likely to face travel delays, a latest analysis has revealed.

An analysis of the new Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that took account of the flight delays in 2024 found that those travelling to Greece and Turkey are most likely to face travel disruptions.  The data covers the average delays to flights to destinations from all UK airports in 2024. According to the CAA, in 2024, the average delay to all flights in the UK stood at 19 minutes.

In 2024, UK flights to popular Greek destinations experienced notable delays, with arrivals and departures to Rhodes averaging 34 minutes and Kos 33 minutes. 

Crete’s main airports, Chania and Heraklion, saw delays of 33 and 27 minutes, respectively, while Thessaloniki recorded an average delay of 26 minutes.

Similarly, flights to Turkey faced disruptions, with delays exceeding 25 minutes for Antalya (31 minutes), Bodrum (28 minutes), and Dalaman (26 minutes).

In contrast, flights to Spain’s Canary Islands had shorter delays, with Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote all averaging under 20 minutes. 

The same was true for key European capitals, including Paris (17 minutes), Madrid (16 minutes), and Prague (18 minutes).

Anton Radchenko, CEO at AirAdvisor, who crunched the numbers, explains: “Unfortunately for travellers to Greece and Turkey, there is a clear pattern emerging in terms of the destinations where Brits are most likely to experience delays to their holiday flights.

“And with Greece in particular, the situation could be about to get even more complicated due to ongoing industrial action from air traffic control workers, that in February and early April caused Greek airspace to close completely for multiple days.

“Similarly, air traffic controllers, baggage handlers and air crew in Italy have gone on strike numerous times this year – with more strikes planned in May.

“Based on the CAA’s data, if you are looking for a popular holiday destination where you are less likely to be affected by delays to your journey, the Canary Islands of Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote all had low average delay times.”

Rhodes, Greece – 34 minute

Chania, Greece – 33 mins

Kos, Greece – 33 mins

Antalya, Turkey- 31 min

Bodrum, Turkey – 28 mins

Heraklion, Greece – 27 mins

Palma de Mallorca, Spain – 26 mins

Dalaman, Turkey – 26 mins

Salonica/Thessaloniki, Greece – 26 mins

Larnaca – 25 mins – Cyprus

Pisa, Italy – 25 mins

Naples, Italy – 25 mins

Skiathos, Greece – 24 mins

Marseille, France – 24 mins

Dubrovnik, Croatia – 24 mins

Paphos, Cyprus – 23 mins

Nice, France – 23 mins

Milan (Malpensa), Italy – 23 mins

Lisbon, Portugal – 23 mins

Athens, Greece – 22 mins

Sofia, Bulgaria – 22 mins

Palermo, Italy – 22 mins

Toulouse, France – 21 mins

Izmir, Turkey – 21 mins

Bordeaux, France – 21 mins

Ibiza, Spain – 21 mins

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain – 20 mins

Rome Fiumicino, Italy – 20 mins

Funchal, Portugal – 20 mins

Arrecife (Lanzarote), Spain – 19 mins

Malta – 19 mins

Malaga, Spain – 19 mins

Barcelona, Spain- 19 mins

Istanbul, Turkey – 18 mins

Seville, Spain – 18 mins

Prague, Czechia – 18 mins

Paris (Charles De Gaulle), France – 17 mins

Madrid, Spain – 16 mins

Fuerteventura, Spain – 17 mins

Tenerife, Spain – 16 mins

Faro, Portugal – 15 mins

Alicante, Spain – 17 mins