Belfast City (George Best) flight delays: which airline is most reliable?
200 flights a year cross the 3-hour line at Belfast City (George Best)
Each one worth £220 to £520 per passenger, depending on distance.
Most reliable airline here: British Airways , 81.4% on time across 4,477 flights. Least reliable: Emerald Airlines , 73.6%.
In the last 12 months, 28,563 flights operated at Belfast City (George Best), and 0.7% were 3 or more hours late, crossing the threshold where £220 to £520 per passenger becomes payable.
Punctuality is down on last year: 76.7% of flights ran on time against 80.4% in the twelve months before, and the average delay rose from 11 to 13.3 minutes.
| Belfast City (George Best), last 12 months | Figure | vs year before |
|---|---|---|
| Flights at Belfast City (George Best) | 28,563 | was 28,710 |
| Ran on time (within 15 min) | 76.7% | ▼ was 80.4% |
| Average delay | 13.3 min | ▲ was 11 min |
| 3h+ late (compensation threshold) | 0.7% | - |
| Cancelled | 2.1% | - |
| Flights 3h+ late (a year) | 200 flights/year | - |
These are CAA figures for Belfast City (George Best), arrivals and departures combined. Here's how each airline compares below.
Belfast City (George Best), month by month
Worst month: July 2025, averaging 18.7 minutes.
Airlines at Belfast City (George Best)
| Airline | 3h+ % | On-time % |
|---|---|---|
| Emerald Airlines | 1.1% | 73.6% |
| easyJet | 0.5% | 78.7% |
| British Airways | 0.1% | 81.4% |
| BA CityFlyer | 0.1% | 81.0% |
| KLM Cityhopper | 0.1% | 76.1% |
| Loganair | 0.7% | 84.8% |
Your rights from Belfast City (George Best)
Belfast City (George Best) is a UK airport, so every flight departing from it is covered by UK261, whichever airline operates it. Delays of 3 or more hours pay £220 to £520 per passenger depending on distance. See the full breakdown on the 3-hour rule. Cancelled instead of delayed? Broadly the same amounts apply under different conditions. See cancelled flight compensation.
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Other UK airports
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, July 2025 to June 2026. Analysis by CheckFlightCompensation; the CAA is credited as the data source as its publication conditions require. Figures cover the 25 largest UK airports.