Manchester Airport has been revealed as the UK’s worst airport for flight delays, according to the latest figures.
But now, the airport has offered its reasoning in defence – saying it was ‘out of [our] control’.
According to annual analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the Press Association (PA), as reported on in many major news outlets like BBC, Sky News, and ITV, Manchester Airport came in last place – with flights running, on average, 19 and a half minutes behind schedule last year.
Manchester Airport – which is the third busiest airport in the country, and the only airport outside of London to have two runways – was used by more than 32 million people last year, and despite its placing at the bottom of the rankings again, did manage to at least secure a 30-second improvement compared to 2024.
The analysis took into account scheduled and chartered departures from the 23 commercial UK airports, with at least 1,000 outbound flights last year, and cancellations were not included.
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These latest figures arrive as Manchester Airport is currently in the middle of revamping Terminal 3, and after having recently completed an extensive transformation of Terminal 2.
Manchester Airport offers reasoning as it’s named the UK’s worst airport for flight delays / Credit: MAG
Offering a statement in defence of its placement in the CAA rankings this year, a spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: “Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport’s control.
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“The two most significant factors contributing to delays in the last year have been industrial action affecting air traffic control in Europe, and the weather.
“These were exacerbated by airspace restrictions above conflict zones meaning airports with significant long-haul networks, like Manchester, were more significantly affected than others.”
Top 10 worst UK airports for flight delays
Manchester – 19 minutes, 30 seconds
Birmingham – 18 minutes, 42 seconds
Bournemouth – 17 minutes, 18 seconds
Southampton – 16 minutes, 36 seconds
Gatwick – 16 minutes, 24 seconds
Newcastle – 15 minutes, 48 seconds
Leeds Bradford – 15 minutes, 36 seconds
Stansted – 15 minutes, 36 seconds
Edinburgh – 15 minutes, 24 seconds
Teesside – 15 minutes, 6 seconds
Other airports finding themself towards the bottom end of the rankings include Birmingham, with averaged delays of 18 minutes 42 seconds, Bournemouth, Southampton, and Gatwick.
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Northern airports like Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, and Teesside also rank low.
On the flip side, however, in a win for the North West, Liverpool John Lennon Airport had the most punctual flights out of any major UK airport – with an average delay of nine minutes and 24 seconds.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Stockport man jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting teenage girl
Emily Sergeant
A Stockport man has been sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from the library.
Paul Sharpe has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an eight-year minimum term in prison after being convicted of a number of offences when subjected a teenage girl to what police called a ‘terrifying ordeal’ that lasted several hours back in May 2026.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the victim had been studying at Sale Library before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm and contacting her parents at 6:10pm to let them know she was on her way.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said she was approximately five minutes away from home, but that her phone battery was about to die.
This was the last contact received from the victim that evening.
While walking along Bradgate Road in Altrincham, the victim noticed a grey Ford parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area.
As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
Concerned that their daughter had not returned home, the victim’s family contacted police at 9:22pm to report her missing, and officers immediately launched an investigation to locate her.
Over the next several hours, the victim was subjected to and placed in a number of terrifying situations.
Sharpe drove the victim to several locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, before police located and arrested him at around 3:40am on 19 May 2026.
Following his arrested, 56-year-old Sharpe was convicted of kidnap, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threats with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home,” explained Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.”
Emily Sergeant -
5th May 2026 
