Pictured: Malta International Airport was the most punctual airport in Europe in 2023
Based on research from UK-based global travel data provider OAG, BestBrokers analysed on-time performance statistics for 2023 and identified the airports where flight delays and cancellations were most and least likely to happen.
Frankfurt International Airport was the least punctual airport in Europe, with 57.32% of departures delayed and 3.41% of flights cancelled. As a result, only 39.27% of its 200,972 flights in 2023 departed on time, according to the report.
Stansted and Luton followed closely in second and third place, with 57.34% and 55.86% of departures delayed and 0.47% and 0.92% of flights cancelled respectively.
Malta International Airport was the most punctual European airport, boasting a mere 9% delayed flights and only 0.41% cancellations. This equates to an impressive 90.59% of on-time departures over the past year.
Warsaw and Stuttgart claimed second and third spot with 86.57% and 85.54% of all departures in 2023 being on time, respectively.
"Labour strikes, including those by French air traffic controllers and Border Force workers in the UK, disrupted air travel last year. Harsh weather conditions, as well as increased traffic and a rise in passenger numbers also took a toll, leading to millions of flight delays and cancellations.
"Out of 5.15 million flights from major European airports in 2023, over 1.78 million departed behind schedule and another 94,804 were cancelled. Frankfurt International Airport was responsible for 6.49% of these delays and cancellations, while only 39.27% of 200,972 flights from it last year departed on time, making it Europe's least punctual airport.
On the other end of the spectrum, Malta International Airport stands out with an impressive on-time performance rate of 90.59%, with only 9.41% of the 24,089 departures in 2023 delayed or cancelled. This should not come as a surprise since smaller airports with less traffic are, typically, less likely to experience issues," said a spokesman from BestBrokers.
