Air India Ranked UK’s Most Delayed Airline in 2024
Air India has been named the most delayed scheduled airline at UK airports in 2024, according to a new report by PA Media using data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The flag carrier of India recorded average departure delays of 45 minutes and 48 seconds across its UK operations, placing it at the bottom of the rankings among airlines operating over 2,500 flights in the country last year.
The worst-performing route was Air India’s London-Gatwick to Bengaluru service, which saw an average delay of one hour and 23 minutes across 50 flights since its launch in August 2024. The Bengaluru route joins other recently added services from Gatwick to Indian cities including Amritsar, Goa, Kochi, and Ahmedabad. Despite criticism, Air India responded by attributing many delays to external factors and emphasized that they were “occasional” and not reflective of overall performance.
Since being acquired by the Tata Group in 2022, Air India has been undergoing a comprehensive transformation. Once plagued by debt, aging aircraft, and service reputation issues, the airline is now investing in a major fleet renewal, including orders for hundreds of Boeing and Airbus aircraft. A significant refurbishment program is also underway to improve onboard products. However, the airline acknowledges that resolving operational and punctuality issues will take time.
Despite these challenges, Air India is expanding aggressively. Cirium data shows the airline operated 56% more flights from UK airports in 2024 compared to 2019, with projections for a 90% increase in 2025. Yet, aviation analysts stress that growth must be matched with operational reliability. Consultant John Strickland noted that past delays were often linked to spare parts shortages and grounded aircraft, but acknowledged the airline’s recent efforts to improve engineering and manpower readiness.
Air India’s new premium cabins, including its Airbus A350 first class, are being used to showcase a renewed focus on quality service. Still, Strickland cautioned that operational performance remains fundamental, saying, “You can have great meals and a great crew, but fundamentally you’ve got to operate an airline which is as punctual and reliable as possible.”
The report also ranked Guernsey-based Aurigny Air Services as the second most delayed airline, followed by Sun Express and TAP Air Portugal. At the other end of the spectrum, Emerald Airlines, operating as Aer Lingus Regional, recorded the best on-time performance with an average delay of just 10 minutes and 30 seconds.
The analysis excluded cancelled flights and focused only on airlines operating more than 2,500 scheduled or chartered services from UK airports in 2024. The average delay across all qualifying airlines was 18 minutes and 18 seconds, showing an overall improvement from the previous year’s average of over 20 minutes.
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