This airport has been named the UK’s worst for flight cancellations

THERE’S nothing worse than seeing the word ‘cancelled’ appear whilst waiting for a flight.

If you live in fear of a flight being cancelled last minute these UK airports saw the highest cancellation rate of 2025 – and Southampton Airport was at the very top.

The regional airport in the south of England recorded the highest cancellation rate of all major UK airports last year, according to AirAdvisor.

AirAdvisor analysed Civil Aviation Authrity (AA) data across 20 of the busiest UK airports to figure out which is the least reliable.

For the second year in a row, Southampton Airport experienced the highest amount of flight cancellations.

The report found that three per cent of its flights were cancelled in 2025.

Although, this is an improvement on 2024 when 3.3 per cent of services were grounded.

Data revealed that Southampton Airport had almost three times as many flight cancellations as the national average – which is 1.09 per cent.

A spokesperson for Southampton Airport told Sun Travel: “An airline’s decision to reluctantly cancel a flight can be due to a number of factors including weather issues, air traffic congestion, delayed arrivals or technical issues with aircraft.

“We will continue to work with our airline partners and their handling agents to support them in their operations.”

Airlines that operate out of Southampton Airport include Loganair, easyJet, KLM, Blue Islands and Aer Lingus.

These airlines fly to the likes of the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, France and other UK cities like Manchester and Glasgow.

Just below Southampton Airport was Aberdeen Airport which had 1.6 per cent of its flights cancelled last year.

The UK’s busiest airport, London Heathrow also “exceeded the national average for cancellations” according to AirAdvisor.

Between January and November 2025, 1.4 per cent of flights at Heathrow were cancelled.

At the other end, Bournemouth Airport recorded the lowest cancellation rate of any major UK airport.

Between January and October 2026, it saw just 0.17 per cent of its scheduled services cancelled.

Other airports that performed well last year included Luton, Stansted, East Midlands International, Bristol and Belfast International, where cancellations were less than half the national average.

Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, said: “Air passengers in the UK can breathe a sigh of relief as we head into 2026, with most trend data suggesting that flight cancellation rates at British airports are decreasing.” 

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