Belfast International Airport least likely for flight cancellations in 2024, report finds
New research using Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) statistics covering January to November 2024 has found that Belfast International Airport was among the major UK airports where passengers were least likely to experience a cancelled flight last year.
According to the CAA’s data, an average of only 0.4 per cent of flights from Belfast International each month were cancelled between January and November. Some months of the year no flights were cancelled at all - Southampton (3.3%) and London City (2.9%) airports fared worse in the analysis.
According to the figures, average delays to flights at Belfast International stood at 13.8 minutes, which was below the national average of around 16 minutes, based on the 18 major UK airports examined by flight compensation specialists AirAdvisor.
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In 2023, CAA data suggests that on average 1.1% of flights each month from Belfast International Airport were delayed - while average delays stood at 19 minutes. This means that in 2024, flights from the airport were significantly less likely to be cancelled or delayed, than in 2023.
On its website, the CAA defines cancelled flights "as the non-operation of a previously planned flight, announced less than 24 hours before or after its scheduled departure time".
Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor said: "Stormy weather, snow and fog often result in cancellations, with January and February being notoriously troublesome months for airports due to bad weather. Storms Isha and Jocelyn in January 2024 had a particularly damaging effect on air services across the UK, however this wasn’t the case at Belfast Airport where only 0.5 per cent of flights were cancelled in the month, according to the CAA’s statistics.
"In July, the global IT outage resulted in around 5,000 flights worldwide being cancelled, in what was a very challenging few days for the aviation industry. Airports like London City and Gatwick saw cancellation rates surge to 3.4 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively. Belfast Airport bucked the trend, with only 0.9 per cent of flights cancelled across the month.
"Flight cancellations and delays at the airport fell year-on-year according to the CAA’s statistics, and the team at Belfast International Airport as well as its carrier and handling partners should be commended for that."
Discussing the steps passengers should take when their travel plans are disrupted by a cancelled flight, Anton added: "There’s a whole multitude of reasons for flights to be cancelled, which might not always be properly communicated to passengers by airlines, so it’s always worth filing a claim if you are affected.
"When your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice and you’re flying with a UK or EU-based carrier or within the UK or EU, you may be due up to £520 in compensation. If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to request a seat on an alternative flight to your destination. If your airline can’t rebook you within a reasonable amount of time, then they must find an alternate flight even if this is with a different airline.
"If you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a full ticket refund. Speak to a representative from your airline at the airport, if there is a seat available on another carrier’s flight, they are required to book it for you, at their expense. The key to filing a successful compensation claim for a cancelled flight is to act quickly. Use a compensation calculator to establish what you might be owed and submit your claim with as much information as possible."
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