Tui Airways passengers flying from Birmingham to Zante faced average delays of more than 45 minutes last year, according to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data analysed by the Press Association. The route was the least punctual among Tui services with at least 100 flights, recording an average delay of 46 minutes in 2025.
Tui's overall punctuality
Overall, the leisure carrier’s departures from UK airports were an average of 20 minutes and 24 seconds behind schedule in 2025. This placed Tui as the fifth worst airline for punctuality among 34 carriers operating more than 2,500 scheduled or chartered departures from UK airports last year. Cancelled flights were not included in the analysis.
Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said it was “unacceptable” that airline passengers “continue to face unreliable service” amid fare rises. He added: “Airlines must do more to support travellers during delays, including clearly communicating their rights and eligibility for compensation. It’s worth putting in a claim with your airline if you think it’s responsible – and escalating the complaint if it refuses to pay.”
Airline response
Aage Dunhaupt, Tui Group’s director of communications, said: “We fully understand that for holidaymakers, every minute counts. Minimising delays remains a top priority, and our teams work continuously to improve operational performance across our network.” He explained that the airline made “a conscious choice” to operate flights “wherever possible, even if they are delayed, rather than cancelling them”, to ensure passengers reached their destination “rather than facing the risk of extended disruption”. He stated: “If we were to follow broader industry practices of cancelling flights more readily, our punctuality ranking would improve significantly. However, this would come at the expense of our customers.”
Industry comparison
Air India had the poorest record for the second year in a row, with an average delay of 36 minutes and 36 seconds. It was followed by Blue Islands (25 minutes and 12 seconds) – a regional airline based in the Channel Islands which collapsed in November 2025 – TAP Air Portugal (23 minutes) and Saudia (21 minutes and 18 seconds). Scandinavian Airlines recorded the best performance last year, with UK departures delayed by an average of eight minutes, ahead of Virgin Atlantic (11 minutes). The average delay for airlines included in the analysis was 14 minutes and 48 seconds, down from 18 minutes and 18 seconds in 2024.
Passenger rights
CAA director Tim Johnson said long hold-ups “can cause significant disruption and inconvenience for passengers”. He said: “We recognise the impact this can have, which is why there are rules in place to protect passengers. Airlines are expected to minimise the impact of delays where possible, by providing timely information and upholding passengers’ rights during disruption.” Depending on the distance of the route and length of delay, passengers booked on flights from the UK that are running behind schedule are entitled to assistance such as a reasonable amount of food and drink, a means to communicate and overnight accommodation if required. Passengers may also be able to claim compensation of up to £520 from the airline if the reason for the delay is deemed within its control, which could be a fault with the aircraft or pilot sickness.
A spokesperson for Airlines UK, a trade body for UK-registered carriers, said: “The vast majority of UK airline flights depart on time and CAA data shows customer satisfaction levels are at an all-time high. Most delays are the result of issues that are entirely outside airline control, such as adverse weather, forced reductions in the number of planes that are able to land and take off each hour, and industrial action. When these delays do occur, airlines work hard to support customers and get them where they need to be as quickly as possible.”
