The World’s Most Delayed Airports: A Comprehensive Analysis

Airports

What is OTP and why is it important?

In the aviation industry, on-time performance (OTP) is an important indicator that helps assess airlines’ or airports’ efficiency, set them apart from their competitors, increase profits and build passengers’ and employees’ loyalty and trust.

OTP for airports is calculated based on the departure time. If a flight leaves within fifteen minutes of the scheduled departure, it is considered to have left on time. This is the common agreed-upon indicator for airports’ punctuality. OTP is expressed in percentage which indicates how good it is; for example, an airport with an OTP of 97% means that only 3% of its flights were delayed or cancelled.

On-time performance is a crucial metric for passengers to consider when planning their trips, as delays or cancellations can have significant consequences, especially when connecting to further modes of transportation or going to important events. Imagine a scenario where you are flying to your embarkation port for a cruise, but your flight gets disrupted. It may be not such a major issue if there are alternative options to get you there on time. However, if the airport is served by a single airline or has limited weekly flights to your specific destination, it can lead to an unfortunate situation. In such cases, OTP statistics can become valuable. 

This analysis and the following tips can help you make more informed decisions when planning your next trips, and prepare contingency plans accordingly.

Methodologies and rankings

There is a wide range of services that collect information about on-time performance, including various publicly available government reports, independent airline and airport ratings, rankings by continents/countries, and opinion pieces that all use different data to rank airports.

Before getting to our rating, let’s look at common factors that affect OTP, which can be divided into those inside and those outside of the airport’s control. 

Weather conditions, incidents, staffing shortages, worn out equipment, poor communication between carriers and airports, technical failures, late passengers, ATC or ground handling issues – all these factors affect the smoothness of airport operations and flight departures. Some of these can be tackled and improved, and some are called force majeure for a reason. One bad day at a busy airport can affect the results of months of hard work.

There are multiple methodologies used to rank airports globally. Typically, it’s done either by governmental bodies (such as DOT, EASA, ACI) to compare all airports within a specific geographical region, or by independent agencies aggregating data (OAG, Cirium, IATA) from multiple sources. Of course, directly comparing small airports to major hubs will not provide a fair assessment, so we will be focusing on the major airports around the globe.

TOP Most delayed airports in the world

The following list is based on the AOG’s 2023 report, which includes data on all flights in 2023 at airports with 20000 or more total flights for the year.

Top 10 worst airports (% of all flights departing on time):

1. Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Germany (39.27%)
2. London Stansted Airport (STN), UK (42.18%)
3. London Luton Airport (LTN), UK (43.21%)
4. Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), Portugal (43.79%)
5. Brussels Airport (BRU), Belgium (43.84%)
6. Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), Belgium (44.62%)
7. Kuwait International Airport (KWI), Kuwait (46.84%)
8. Munich International Airport (MUC), Germany (48.09%)
9. Ninoy Aquino Airport (MNL), Philippines (48.46%)
10. Larnaca International Airport (LCA), Cyprus (50.63%)

The list above provides the ranking based on the combined number of delays and cancellations, which impacted overall on-time performance at these airports. Separately it’s worth highlighting airports with the highest number of flight cancellations (% of all flights cancelled):

1. Philip S.W. Goldson Airport (BZE), Belize (24.92%)
2. Sultan Hasanuddin Airport (UPG), Indonesia (14.34%)
3. Soekarno-Hatta Airport (CGK), Indonesia (11.11%).

Although cancellations alone had high numbers, these airports managed to maintain their combined OTP within ranges not as severe as of the “leaders” of 2023.

Even though this is not a focus of this article, it is worth mentioning the best on-time performing airports in the world (% of all flights departing on time):

–    Brasilia International Airport (BSB), Brazil (92.58%)

–    Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM), Peru (91.91%)

–    Malta International Airport (MLA), Malta (90.59%)

Some tips to keep in mind when planning your trips:

–  If schedule allows, fly out earlier in the day: at larger airports on-time performance can deteriorate throughout the day. Besides, if you face a major delay or cancellation in the morning, an early flight gives you more options to fly out on the same day.

–  Purchase travel insurance: having insurance can help reduce your stress levels in the event of disruptions when extra expenses occur.

–   If it’s not possible to choose more punctual options, be sure to allow extra time when going to important events like weddings, transfer trips, job interviews, concerts etc. Consider adding an extra day to your plans.

–  When planning a connecting flight, review rules and policies of all involved airlines regarding irregularities. Knowing your rights and obligations helps navigate disruptions.

By following these recommendations and being aware of the most delayed airports, you can plan your travels accordingly and minimize disruptions effects on them. However, if your flight is disturbed, Skycop is always here to assist with getting you compensated for a cancelled flight or delayed flight.

Safe travels!