Aer Lingus: flights 3+ hours late or cancelled at UK airports

Of 71,987 scheduled Aer Lingus flights to and from UK airports in 2025, 3.3% were cancelled or at least 3 hours late (95% range 3.15%–3.41%), measured at the UK airport. Source: UK CAA.

How it works ↓

Data: CAA punctuality statistics, calendar year 2025 (published 25 February 2026) · calculated 3 November 2026 · Methodology and sources

3.3%3+ hours late or cancelled

71,987scheduled flights 2025

By UK airport

UK airport	Scheduled flights	3h+ late or cancelled	95% range	Cancelled
Belfast City	14,613	4.4%	4.1%–4.8%	517
London Heathrow	13,560	1.1%	0.92%–1.27%	127
Manchester	8,489	4.5%	4.0%–4.9%	293
Birmingham	7,587	4.0%	3.6%–4.5%	258
Edinburgh	6,713	3.4%	3.0%–3.8%	198
Glasgow	4,673	2.4%	2.0%–2.8%	74
Leeds Bradford	4,031	5.2%	4.5%–5.9%	184
Southampton	3,421	3.1%	2.6%–3.8%	87
Bristol	2,865	2.3%	1.8%–2.9%	43
Liverpool	1,352	3.7%	2.8%–4.8%	43
Isle of Man	976	2.6%	1.8%–3.9%	19
Newcastle	855	1.9%	1.1%–3.0%	11
Exeter	832	1.8%	1.1%–2.9%	8
Aberdeen	776	4.3%	3.1%–6.0%	24
Cardiff	773	2.6%	1.7%–3.9%	13
East Midlands	387	1.5%	0.7%–3.3%	2

UK airports with at least 200 scheduled flights of this airline in 2025; linked airports (500+ flights) have a page with this airline's destinations and a comparison with the other airlines there.

Cancellations are Aer Lingus's weak spot in the UK. The main operator had 1,294 of them in 2025 against 275 flights 3+ hours late, nearly five times as many, and they are what push the airline's share to twice the national average (1.6%).

Belfast, Leeds and regional flights

Most cancellations happen at Belfast City: 517 out of 14,613 flights, a share of 4.4%. Leeds Bradford is even worse at 5.2%. Disruptions from London Heathrow are four times less common: 1.1%. Aer Lingus Regional flights are operated by Emerald Airlines UK, which stands at 4.0% against the main operator's 3.0%.

When you get paid for a cancellation

Under UK261, compensation is possible if you were given less than 14 days' notice of the cancellation. If, with less than 7 days' notice, you were offered an alternative flight departing no more than an hour earlier and arriving less than 2 hours later, there will be no compensation. Whatever the cancellation, the choice is yours: a refund or an alternative flight (under UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules).

By operating company

Operator (as listed by the CAA)	Scheduled flights	3h+ late or cancelled	95% range	Cancelled
Aer Lingus	52,140	3.0%	2.87%–3.16%	1,294
Emerald Airlines UK (Aer Lingus Regional)	15,064	4.0%	3.7%–4.3%	469
Emerald Airlines (Aer Lingus Regional)	3,907	2.8%	2.4%–3.4%	84
Aer Lingus UK	876	8.7%	7.0%–11%	54

Caveats

This is an upper estimate of flights where compensation may be due. Weather, air traffic control, strikes by third parties and security problems are “extraordinary circumstances” and give no right to compensation; cancellations announced 14 days or more ahead do not either.
The CAA measures delay at the UK airport (departure or arrival). The legal test is the delay on arrival at the final destination.
Flights in both directions are combined. For flights from an EU airport, EU261 applies when the airline is an EU airline (€250 / €400 / €600), UK261 when it is a UK airline.
Shares differ between airlines partly because of where and when they fly: routes to islands and airports with frequent weather or air traffic control restrictions raise the share without the airline being at fault.