UK winter flights saw significant disruptions this season

During the winter of 2024-2025, many passengers flying to and from the UK experienced significant disruptions. According to a recent study by AirHelp, 27% of passengers faced operational issues during this time, impacting over 53 million travelers. The disruptions were caused by various factors, including weather, staffing issues, and high travel volumes during the holiday season. The study looked at data from December 2024 to February 2025, which revealed that about 508,000 passengers were eligible for compensation due to flight delays. Notably, around 1.3 million flights were canceled over the winter months, averaging 2.6% of flights in December. The most affected routes were highlighted in the report. The route from London Heathrow to Accra, Ghana, had the highest disruption, with 61% of passengers facing issues. British Airways operates this route daily. The situation has not improved in March, with recent flights experiencing diversions and delays. Another heavily disrupted route was from Heathrow to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where 59% of passengers faced operational problems. SriLankan Airlines provides daily service on this route, which has recently run more consistently. On a shorter route from London Stansted to Zagreb, Croatia, 54% of passengers were disrupted, with low-cost carrier Ryanair serving this connection. Despite the winter challenges, Ryanair has shown improvement in its March performance. AirHelp also noted some routes that performed well, such as the Emirates flight from Stansted to Dubai, which had 91% of passengers departing on time. Similarly, British Airways’ service from Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro also saw 91% on-time departures. Overall, the winter season brought significant travel challenges for many UK passengers, with a mix of delays and cancellations affecting their journeys.