Wizz Air least punctual airline operating from UK airports in 2017

Wizz Air flights departed 23 minutes late on average

Passengers on delayed flights from UK airports of two hours or more are entitled to compensation (istock)

If you want your flight to take off on time, maybe give Wizz Air a miss.

A Press Association analysis of the busiest airlines operating from UK airports revealed that the Hungarian carrier has the poorest punctuality record with flights departing on average 23 minutes late in 2017.

Norwegian came in second for tardiness with an average delay time of 22 minutes, followed by Vueling Airlines, Thomas Cook Airline and BMI Regional.

At the other end of the spectrum, Scandinavian Airlines was the most punctual carrier, with flights taking off on average just seven minutes behind schedule.

This was closely followed by Aer Lingus, Air France, Alitalia and Delta Airlines.

The study of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data covered 44 airlines with a minimum of 2,000 scheduled flights from UK airports in 2017.

Passengers may be disappointed to discover that delays are a common part of the aviation experience, with the average delay across all flights coming in at 15 minutes.

A spokesperson for Wizz Air cited poor winter weather as one explanation for the delays.

“A number of issues specific to the UK, including airport infrastructure, airspace congestion and slot restrictions contribute to a significantly worse on-time performance of our UK routes compared to the rest of our network,” they told The Guardian.

Wizz Air’s efforts to reduce future delays include basing eight aircraft in the UK.

Norwegian cited European air traffic control strikes and poor weather as factors for its low ranking.

“We do everything possible to ensure that flights operate to allow passengers to reach their destination as soon as possible,” said a Norwegian spokesperson.

“Norwegian is committed to keep improving punctuality, and where factors are within our direct control we have introduced new measures to continue delivering a smooth, efficient experience for our passengers.”

The CAA said it published information on carriers’ performance “to allow people to make informed choices about which airlines to fly with.”