It’s not a title we’re massively buzzing to hear about… but Manchester Airport has just been named in the top 10 UK airports with the longest delays.
It’s all according to a new study by travel tips and discount platform, Tripplo.
We can all pretty much agree that delays are one of the worst parts about flying, but where in the country are you most likely to get held up and find yourself having to kill a couple of hours waiting around? In a bid to get to the bottom of this, Trippolo has analysed the latest travel data from the Civil Aviation Authority to see which UK airports were experiencing the longest delays on average.
Manchester Airport has, unfortunately, found itself sitting within the not-so-coveted top 10 – but thankfully, our region wasn’t found to be the worst offender in the study.
Manchester Airport has been named in top 10 UK airports with the longest delays / Credit: Natali Quijano | Suhyeon Choi (via Unsplash)
That honour (if you can even call it that) has been awarded to Aberdeen in Scotland, where the airport sees the longest delays of any in the UK.
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With an average delay of 20.70 minutes from 6,757 flights studied – which is over four minutes longer than any other airport – the latest data from December 2023 shows that the average delay at Aberdeen that month was 26.04 minutes.
Second place on the list goes to Isle of Man Airport, also known as Ronaldsway Airport, where there was an average delays of 22.53 minutes, and then the UK’s second-busiest airport, London Gatwick, has claimed the third spot, with an average delay of 15.47 minutes for 58,762 flights studied in 2023.
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Manchester Airport comes in fourth place on the list.
It’s all according to a new study by travel tips and discount platform, Tripplo / Credit: Anete Lūsiņa (via Unsplash)
Our region‘s travel hub saw average delays of 14.02 minutes in 2023 for a total of 39,771 flights that were studied, and data from December showed the average delay that month to be 21.63 minutes.
Rounding out the top five is another London airport in Luton, while some of the other airports featuring in the top 10 include Heathrow, Bristol, and Edinburgh.
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Top 10 UK airports with the longest average delays
Aberdeen – 20.7 minutes
Isle of Man – 16.22 minutes
Gatwick – 15.47 minutes
Manchester – 14.02 minutes
Luton – 13.58 minutes
Heathrow – 13.56 minutes
Edinburgh – 13.31 minutes
Teeside – 12.51 minutes
Bristol – 12.44 minutes
Stanstead – 12.43 minutes
“While it’s never ideal for any of your flights to be delayed, you’ll likely experience it at some point, especially if you’re a frequent flyer,” commented Axel Hernborg, who is the founder of Tripplo.com, on the study’s finding.
“That being said, it’s interesting to see the big difference in the length of delays at certain UK airports, and it will be worth seeing if this correlates with the number of cancellations at each of these airports as well.
“With the summer holidays also coming up, whether the amount of cancellations we have seen across the UK in recent years keeps up will be worth noting too.”
Featured Image – Albert Bridge (via Pxhere / Geograph)
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Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær says just three players have spoken to him since leaving Manchester United
Danny Jones
Club legend and ex-Manchester United player turned manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has revealed that just three of his former players have been in touch since leaving Old Trafford.
Solskjær was sacked from the role as Man United head coach back in November 2021 after having been given the job permanently following an impressive winning run as interim manager.
The practically perfect start back at the helm of the club – where he starred as the ‘super sub’ during his playing days – was followed by a big slump, and the final decision was ultimately made in the wake of a 4-1 loss to Watford.
However, the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’s’ popularity among the players and the fans alike was never in question, so it’s come as somewhat of a surprise to many fans that Solskjær has said only a specific trio of United players have got in touch with him since his dream job came to an end.
At least two of the names read out might not surprise fans, as not only was then-club captain Harry Maguire one of his first statement signings, but so was Bruno Fernandes, who now has the armband, and both have remained key players and leadership figures pretty much ever since.
Speaking to BBC Sport on the senior duo, Ole said, “For me, Harry has always been a leader and a fighter”, and never had any doubts about him deputising for him on the pitch, before going on to label both the centre-back and Bruno as “top human beings.”
As for the third, although Victor Lindelöf looks set to leave the club this summer, he’s actually been a long-serving squad member, having joined back in 2017 and been a seemingly popular figure around the dressing room, even if injury problems have sometimes hampered his minutes.
He also went on to discuss other matters regarding the club, including confessing that it’s “hard to watch” United amidst their present struggles, both under previous manager Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim – even with a potential Europa League trophy consolation on the cards.
The retired striker also stated that he found the decision to let midfielder Scott McTominay go more than surprising, especially given the incredible performances he’s put on display since moving to Serie A.
Emily Sergeant -
6th March 2024 
