According to new figures, Wizz Air has been ranked as the worst major airline for flight delays from UK airports for the second consecutive year. The Hungarian carrier's

UK departures experienced an average delay of 46 minutes and six seconds in 2022, based on an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the PA news agency. This was over three times longer than the previous year, where the airline was also ranked last for punctuality.

Wizz Air operates short-haul flights from UK airports including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Gatwick, Luton, Liverpool and Bristol. The analysis considered all scheduled and chartered departures from UK airports by airlines with over 2,500 flights, but cancelled flights were not included. The average delay for all these flights was 23 minutes.

Following Wizz Air, Tui ranked second with an average delay of 40 minutes and 18 seconds, and Qatar Airways ranked third with 31 minutes and 48 seconds. On the other hand, Norwegian Air Shuttle recorded the best performance with an average delay of just 13 minutes and 42 seconds.

May and June were identified as the worst months for punctuality, as the aviation sector failed to recruit and train enough staff to cope with a surge in demand for holidays following the lifting of the UK's Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, expressed concern about the figures, stating that they will not come as a surprise to passengers who have had to endure poor treatment from airlines for years. The Civil Aviation Authority has the power to take enforcement action against airlines, but court cases usually take several years to be concluded. Although government proposals were consulted on in early 2022 to give the regulator more powers, no changes have been implemented.

Paul Smith, CAA consumer director, said that "too many passengers faced disappointing levels of delays" last year. He added that the CAA has regularly requested stronger consumer enforcement powers, including the ability to impose fines on airlines. "When things do go wrong, we expect airlines to proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are disrupted, as well as offer timely support and assistance. We've already raised concerns about Wizz Air and are working closely with the airline to improve outcomes for consumers," Smith said.

In February, the airline ended its service in and out of Wales, citing running costs and the current economic climate. In the previous year, Wizz Air faced a backlash from pilot unions after the CEO, Jozsef Varadi, said staff should go "the extra mile" when tired so that the airline could avoid cancelling flights. However, the airline did not respond to a request for comment by the PA news agency on this occasion. Photo by Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia, Wikimedia commons.