Vueling ranked most delayed UK airline

The average delay across all airlines was 16 minutes

Vueling has been ranked the least punctual airline flying out of the UK (Getty Images)

The most delayed airlines flying from the UK have been revealed, with Vueling Airlines ranked the least punctual.

Flights operated by the Spanish carrier were 31 minutes late on average in 2018, according to an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by Press Association.

Vueling is owned by the International Airlines Group, which also owns British Airways and Aer Lingus.

Following Vueling to round out the top five most delayed airlines were Thomas Cook, Wizz Air, Norwegian and Eurowings. Their flights left UK airports an average of 24, 23, 22 and 22 minutes late respectively.

The average delay across all airlines was 16 minutes, the investigation found.

At the other end of the spectrum, Cathay Pacific was rated the most on-time airline. The Hong Kong carrier’s flights typically took off just eight minutes late from the UK.

More than 2,000 flights from 43 airlines that left the UK last year were included in the ranking.

“It’s completely unacceptable for passengers to be regularly delayed by nearly half an hour,” said Which? Travel’s Naomi Leach.

“These delays aren’t just an inconvenience but can leave holidaymakers hundreds of pounds out of pocket because of missed connections, transfers and fines for picking up their hire car late.

“The worst airlines need to ensure they have the staff and capacity to run an on-time service – and that they look after their customers if delays do occur.”

Passengers delayed by at least three hours should be compensated under EU regulation 261/2004. How much is dependent on the length of the delay, the distance the passenger is travelling and whether or not the final destination is in the EU.