Derbyshire travel: East Midlands, Manchester and Doncaster Sheffield Airports - which fared worst for cancellations

Several airports have been experiencing delays and cancellations in the UK, including those used by Derbyshire travellers.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Airports and airline companies have been facing somewhat of a crisis, in regards to flight delays and cancellations.

New figures reveal which UK airports were hit hardest by disruption over the Easter break, when holidaymakers faced mass delays and cancellations.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

April saw flight punctuality fall to its lowest levels so far this year at the vast majority of large UK airports, analysis of data from the Civil Aviation Authority shows.

Despite the crisis, only 16% of flights from East Midlands Airport suffered a delay in April.Despite the crisis, only 16% of flights from East Midlands Airport suffered a delay in April.
Despite the crisis, only 16% of flights from East Midlands Airport suffered a delay in April.

Which airports fared the best and worst in the UK?

With 4.4% of all flights cancelled, Southampton was the worst affected airport by far in April. Aberdeen was the second worst, with 2.7% of flights being cancelled, while London City Airport came in third with 2.4%.

In regards to airports close to Derbyshire, Doncaster Sheffield Airport fared the best, with no reported cancellations taking place in the month of April.

East Midlands Airport fared slightly worse, with just 0.4% of flights being cancelled. Meanwhile, Manchester Airport suffered the most, having to cancel 1% of all its flights in April.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In terms of delays, both Manchester and Doncaster Sheffield Airports fared particularly badly – 41% of all flights in April were delayed from Manchester Airport, making it the second worst in the country under this criteria.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport wasn’t much better, with 40% of all of its flights being delayed in the month of April. East Midlands Airport faced far fewer delays than both, with only around 15% of its flights being delayed during April.

Why are UK airports facing so many cancellations?

There are several reasons why airports and airlines having to cancel an unusually high number of lights. As so many people are wanting to go on holiday following the COVID-19 pandemic, it has left many flight companies over-encumbered and unable to effectively deal with the backlog.

Despite this, the number of potential holiday makers is still less than what they were before the pandemic, which can be seen in the data.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In addition to this, experts have claimed that another possible reason for the abundance of delays and cancellations could be a lack of sufficiently trained staff at airports.

Aviation Minister Robert Courts spoke on the matter. He said: “This is a hugely challenging time for our recovering aviation industry, but we cannot have a situation where passengers arrive at the airport just to have their flight cancelled or face long delays.”

Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, had this to say: “This is a welcome step that will help build greater resilience into operations this summer, coming on top of measures already taken by the sector.

"We will continue to work with ministers and the whole aviation ecosystem to ensure the summer peak runs as smoothly as possible for our passengers.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If you’re planning on going away any time soon, it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on your flight’s status. With so much disruption and confusion at the airports currently, they could be cancelled at a moment’s notice.