Gatwick flight delays: which airline is most reliable?
1,536 flights a year cross the 3-hour line at Gatwick
Each one worth £220 to £520 per passenger, depending on distance.
Most reliable airline here: Iberia Express , 87.4% on time across 1,296 flights. Least reliable: TUI Airways , 57.3%.
In the last 12 months, 256,070 flights operated at Gatwick, and 0.6% were 3 or more hours late, crossing the threshold where £220 to £520 per passenger becomes payable.
Punctuality is up on last year: 70.0% of flights ran on time against 63.3% in the twelve months before, and the average delay fell from 22 to 16.9 minutes.
| Gatwick, last 12 months | Figure | vs year before |
|---|---|---|
| Flights at Gatwick | 256,070 | was 261,906 |
| Ran on time (within 15 min) | 70.0% | ▲ was 63.3% |
| Average delay | 16.9 min | ▼ was 22 min |
| 3h+ late (compensation threshold) | 0.6% | - |
| Cancelled | 1.0% | - |
| Flights 3h+ late (a year) | 1,536 flights/year | - |
These are CAA figures for Gatwick, arrivals and departures combined. Here's how each airline compares below.
Gatwick, month by month
Worst month: July 2025, averaging 27.2 minutes.
Airlines at Gatwick
| Airline | 3h+ % | On-time % |
|---|---|---|
| easyJet | 0.5% | 70.4% |
| British Airways | 0.9% | 68.4% |
| Vueling Airlines | 0.4% | 74.5% |
| TUI Airways | 0.9% | 57.3% |
| Wizz Air | 1.0% | 67.9% |
| Norwegian | 0.2% | 78.6% |
| Ryanair | 0.4% | 73.1% |
| Aurigny Air Services | 0.8% | 72.2% |
| Turkish Airlines | 0.2% | 74.0% |
| Air Portugal | 0.1% | 66.0% |
| Emirates | 0.3% | 71.2% |
| Jet2.com | 0.8% | 57.6% |
| Norse Atlantic UK | 2.6% | 68.7% |
| Sunexpress | 0.1% | 68.2% |
| Air Europa | 0.2% | 77.2% |
| Air Baltic | 0.1% | 74.9% |
| China Eastern Airlines | 0.4% | 86.9% |
| Iberia Express | <0.5% | 87.4% |
| Air China | 0.8% | 83.0% |
| Air Transat | 0.7% | 66.5% |
| Swiss Airlines | <0.5% | 65.8% |
| Air Peace | 0.3% | 66.3% |
| Qatar Airways | 0.2% | 75.7% |
| Icelandair | <0.5% | 77.2% |
| Royal Air Maroc | 0.6% | 49.7% |
| Singapore Airlines | 0.2% | 79.7% |
| Sky Express | 0.4% | 70.5% |
| Condor | 0.4% | 80.3% |
| Air Mauritius | 1.2% | 66.1% |
| Air India | 2.9% | 60.0% |
| Eurowings Luftverkehrs | 0.4% | 73.2% |
| Km Malta Airlines | <0.5% | 91.4% |
| China Southern | 0.2% | 86.1% |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | 0.9% | 65.7% |
| Enter Air | 0.6% | 54.5% |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 0.2% | 58.9% |
| Azerbaijan Airlines (Azal) | 1.3% | 60.2% |
| Eastern Airways | 1.1% | 56.8% |
| Tunisair | 4.0% | 35.5% |
| Air France | <0.5% | 71.6% |
| West Jet Airlines | 0.3% | 62.5% |
| Nouvelair Tunisie | 0.6% | 65.6% |
| JetBlue Airways | 0.6% | 82.2% |
| Air Arabia Maroc | 2.6% | 73.2% |
| Kenya Airways | 4.2% | 55.0% |
Routes from Gatwick
The exact UK261/EU261 figure for a 3+ hour delay on each, worked out from the real distance rather than the range most sites quote.
Your rights from Gatwick
Gatwick 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.