Edinburgh Airport has been ranked among the UK’s worst airports for summer flight delays after new analysis found more than half of its July departures left behind schedule.
The Scottish capital’s airport was named the third-most delayed airport in the UK in a report by Locals Insider, which examined more than 700,000 flights using Civil Aviation Authority data from July departures between 2022 and 2025.
According to the findings, 50.3% of flights departing Edinburgh Airport during July were delayed by more than 15 minutes.
That made it one of only three airports in the study where the majority of flights experienced delays during the peak summer holiday period.
Only London Gatwick and Manchester Airport recorded worse performances, with delay rates of 57.4% and 51.1% respectively.
The findings place Edinburgh significantly above the UK average and well ahead of Scotland’s other major airports.
Glasgow Airport recorded a July delay rate of 36.3%, while Aberdeen Airport performed considerably better, with just 30.1% of departures delayed by more than 15 minutes.
Aberdeen ranked as the second-best performing airport in the UK for punctuality during July.
Belfast City Airport topped the rankings as the most reliable airport in the study, with only 29.2% of departures delayed.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport followed closely behind with a delay rate of 30.6%.
Elsewhere, Luton Airport recorded delays on 48.2% of flights, while Birmingham and Bristol both saw delay rates of 47.3%.
Stansted reported delays on 46.7% of departures, Newcastle on 42.8% and Heathrow on 40.7%.
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Martin Danemaq, spokesperson for Locals Insider, 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.”
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