The worst UK airports for flight punctuality have been revealed - and Durham Tees Valley is fourth in the list.

Civil Aviation Authority figures show that in 2017, flights from DTVA were delayed by an average of 18.6 mins.

Only Jersey (18.7 mins), London Gatwick (18.9 mins) and London Luton (19.7 mins) checked in with worse figures, according to Press Association analysis of the CAA data.

The ranking takes into account every scheduled and charter flight from 25 of the UK’s major airports. Cancelled flights are not included.

The average delay across all the featured airports was 15 minutes.

London Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, was found to have the best performance, with aircraft typically taking off 11 minutes late.

Leeds Bradford had the second best record, followed by Belfast City and London City.

Newcastle ranked 19th worst out of 25, with an average 12.8mins delay.

KLM flight arrives at Durham Tees Valley Airport
KLM flight arrives at Durham Tees Valley Airport

A DTVA spokesman said: “It has to be pointed out that a large percentage of delays are caused by factors outside the airport’s control, such as congestion at other airports, including major international hubs, and the unprecedented severe weather problems which occurred in 2017.

“As the Airport Operators Association has also pointed out, the industry is having to work with outdated airspace infrastructure which significantly impacts on the efficiency of operations.

“As an airport, we are constantly working to minimise delays and in fact we have seen a significant improvement in the first months of 2018.

“Latest figures show that 3% of delayed departures were attributable to the airport and just 1% in April.”

Punctuality data enables passengers to “make informed choices about which airports they fly from”, a CAA spokesman said.

“The aviation industry should constantly strive to improve punctuality to enhance the passenger experience,” he added.

A spokesman for the Airport Operators Association (AOA) said “outdated” airspace infrastructure limits the efficiency of flights.

“The UK needs to modernise its airspace,” he explained. “Airports are working with air traffic service providers and the Government to plan and deliver the necessary changes so everyone can continue to fly with a minimum of delays.”

Passengers on delayed flights from UK airports are entitled to assistance and compensation depending on the cause and length of the disruption.

When flights are delayed for more than two hours, airlines have to provide free access to phone calls or emails, meals and refreshments, as well as hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is required.

Passengers can also claim compensation when flights are delayed by more than three hours unless there are “extraordinary circumstances” such as severe weather or a security alert.

Payouts range from 250 euro (£219) to 600 euro (£524) depending on the length of the flight and how long it was delayed.

Full table:

1. London Luton 19.7 mins

2. London Gatwick 18.9 mins

3. Jersey 18.7 mins

4. Durham Tees Valley 18.6 mins

5. Birmingham 18.2 mins

6. Bristol 17.6 mins

7. Belfast International 16.7 mins

8. Manchester 16.7 mins

9. London Stansted 16.7 mins

10. Aberdeen 16.1 mins

11. Edinburgh 15.8 mins

12. Cardiff 15.7 mins

13. Glasgow 15.0 mins

14. Doncaster Sheffield 14.3 mins

15. Liverpool 14.0 mins

16. London Southend 13.5 mins

17. Southampton 13.5 mins

18. East Midlands International 13.3 mins

19. Newcastle 12.8 mins

20. Bournemouth 12.3 mins

21. Exeter 11.9 mins

22. London City 11.6 mins

23. Belfast City 11.3 mins

24. Leeds Bradford 11.3 mins

25. London Heathrow 11.0 mins