Edinburgh Airport has been named one of the worst in the UK for July flight delays, according to new analysis from Locals Insider.
The study, based on Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data from the past four Julys (2022–25), analysed more than 700,000 flights across UK airports to identify where passengers are most likely to face disruption during the peak summer holiday period.
It found that 50.3% of flights departing Edinburgh in July were delayed by more than 15 minutes – the third highest proportion of any UK airport and one of only three airports in the study where more than half of all July flights run late.
Gatwick Airport topped the leaderboard with 57.4%, while Manchester (51.1%) and Luton (48.2%) also featured prominently.
The picture is considerably better at Scotland’s other main airports. Glasgow Airport recorded a delay rate of 36.3% in July – a notable 14 percentage points lower than Edinburgh, despite handling a broadly comparable volume of passengers.
Aberdeen performed better still, recording a delay rate of just 30.1% – the second lowest of any airport in the entire study.
Belfast City Airport held the best figures of the analysis (29.2%), while Liverpool John Lennon (30.6%) also sat in the top three best performers.
Spokesperson for Locals Insider, Martin Danemaq, said: “Edinburgh is Scotland’s busiest airport and a major gateway for summer holidays, so a delay rate of more than half of all July flights is a notable finding for passengers in the region.
“The data covers four consecutive Julys, suggesting this is a consistent pattern rather than an isolated bad year.
“What’s particularly striking is the contrast with Aberdeen and Glasgow, both of which record significantly lower delay rates during July. For passengers in Scotland with flexibility over their departure airport, the data paints a very different picture depending on which one they use.”
UK Airport Delay Percentage – July 2022-25
| Airport | Total Flights | Flights delayed 15+mins (%) |
| Gatwick | 101,313 | 57.4 |
| Manchester | 70,749 | 51.1 |
| Edinburgh | 41,570 | 50.3 |
| Luton | 37,403 | 48.2 |
| Birmingham | 32,792 | 47.3 |
| Bristol | 27,851 | 47.3 |
| Stansted | 64,228 | 46.7 |
| Newcastle | 14,871 | 42.8 |
| Bournemouth | 3,189 | 41.2 |
| Heathrow | 156,140 | 40.7 |
| Cardiff Wales | 3,374 | 38.8 |
| London City | 15,865 | 38.6 |
| Glasgow | 24,534 | 36.3 |
| Isle of Man | 3,197 | 35.5 |
| Belfast Int. | 16,488 | 35.2 |
| Leeds Bradford | 13,502 | 35.1 |
| Jersey | 6,965 | 34.7 |
| East Midlands | 12,024 | 33.5 |
| Southampton | 6,052 | 31.7 |
| Exeter | 2,782 | 31 |
| Liverpool | 13,057 | 30.6 |
| Aberdeen | 9,664 | 30.1 |
| Belfast City | 10,365 | 29.2 |
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