RouteRankingManchester Airport has been ranked the worst in the UK for flight punctuality for the fourth consecutive year. New analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data, published today by the Press Association and reported by the BBC and Sky News, shows departures from Manchester ran an average of 19 minutes and 30 seconds late in 2025.
But airport-level averages hide the full picture. RouteRanking tracks on-time arrival performance for every individual flight on UK and Irish routes, updated daily from real data. We analysed over 800 qualifying departures from Manchester across five Irish routes to find out which flights are driving those delays, and which ones are still worth booking.
The headline finding is clear: Belfast routes are Manchester's weakest link.
If you are flying from Manchester to Ireland, your punctuality experience varies dramatically depending on your destination. Dublin and Cork hold up reasonably well. Belfast is where Manchester's delay problem is most visible.
Manchester -> Dublin (route average: 81.36%)
Dublin is Manchester's most reliable Irish destination. All five qualifying flights sit between 74% and 85% on-time, and the pattern is consistent with what we see across most routes: morning departures outperform afternoon ones.
| Flight | Airline | Departure | On-Time % | Flights Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR553 | Ryanair | 08:30 | 85.29% | 34 |
| EI203 | Aer Lingus | 08:05 | 84.85% | 33 |
| FR555 | Ryanair | 10:10 | 81.82% | 33 |
| FR559 | Ryanair | 13:05 | 80.65% | 31 |
| FR557 | Ryanair | 16:25 | 74.19% | 31 |
The 08:30 Ryanair service FR553 is the top pick, arriving on time 85% of the time. The 16:25 departure FR557 is the weakest, but still functional at 74%. It does mark a meaningful drop if you have evening plans or an onward connection.
See the full Manchester to Dublin on-time rankings.
Manchester -> Cork (route average: 85.18%)
Cork is Manchester's best-performing Irish route and one of the stronger results in our entire Manchester dataset. The 08:15 Ryanair service FR767 runs at 94% on-time across 50 tracked flights, making it one of the most reliable departures from what is supposedly the UK's worst airport.
| Flight | Airline | Departure | On-Time % | Flights Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR767 | Ryanair | 08:15 | 94.00% | 50 |
| FR1863 | Ryanair | 06:35 | 76.36% | 55 |
The gap between the two Cork services is notable: 94% versus 76%. The early morning 06:35 departure underperforms relative to what you might expect from a first-wave flight, suggesting aircraft rotation issues from the previous evening may be a factor.
See the full Manchester to Cork on-time rankings.
Manchester -> Belfast International (route average: 62.72%)
This is where Manchester's delay problem becomes most apparent. Across five qualifying flights to Belfast International, the route average sits at just 62.72%, meaning more than one in three flights arrives late.
| Flight | Airline | Departure | On-Time % | Flights Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U2701 | easyJet | 06:25 | 77.50% | 40 |
| RK191 | Aer Lingus Regional | 20:15 | 72.73% | 55 |
| U290 | easyJet | 12:30 | 72.00% | 50 |
| RK193 | Aer Lingus Regional | 08:35 | 51.02% | 49 |
| U2707 | easyJet | 20:20 | 40.35% | 57 |
The easyJet 20:20 service U2707 is the standout concern, arriving on time just 40% of the time across 57 tracked flights. That is a large, reliable sample with low reliability. Six in ten passengers on this service are arriving late into Belfast International.
The 06:25 easyJet departure U2701 is the most reliable option at 77.50%, but even that sits well below what we consider reliable on most routes we track.
See the full Manchester to Belfast International on-time rankings.
Manchester -> Belfast City (route average: 54.74%)
Belfast City is the weakest Manchester route in our dataset. Five Aer Lingus and easyJet services average just 54.74% on-time, meaning nearly half of all flights on this corridor arrive late.
| Flight | Airline | Departure | On-Time % | Flights Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EI3615 | Aer Lingus | 16:10 | 65.45% | 55 |
| EI3611 | Aer Lingus | 08:40 | 61.67% | 60 |
| EI3613 | Aer Lingus | 12:40 | 59.02% | 61 |
| EI3619 | Aer Lingus | 19:55 | 53.33% | 60 |
| U2721 | easyJet | 15:30 | 34.21% | 38 |
The easyJet 15:30 service U2721 is the worst-performing flight in our entire Manchester dataset at 34.21%, getting to destination on time fewer than one in three flights. Unusually, the morning departure does not perform significantly better than the afternoon here, suggesting this route has structural delay issues beyond the typical time-of-day pattern.
See the full Manchester to Belfast City on-time rankings.
Manchester -> Shannon (route average: 41.67%)
One Ryanair service operates this route in our dataset: FR4776 at 14:30, arriving on time just 41.67% of the time across 36 tracked flights. It is a single-service sample, but the figure is consistent with the broader pattern of Manchester afternoon departures struggling for punctuality.
See the Manchester to Shannon on-time rankings.
What the airport average does not tell you
The CAA data that made headlines today ranks Manchester on average departure delay across all flights. Our data tracks on-time arrival at route and flight level, a more useful metric if you are trying to decide which specific service to book.
The range across Manchester's Irish routes tells a more nuanced story than the overall ranking suggests. Cork runs at 85% on-time. Belfast City runs at 54%. Within the Belfast International route alone, the gap between the best and worst qualifying flight is 37 percentage points. The airport matters, but so do the route, airline, and departure time.
RouteRanking tracks on-time performance across 100+ UK and Irish routes, updated daily. All figures are based on a minimum of 30 observed flights per service over the past 60 days.
CAA figures measure average departure delay across all departures. RouteRanking figures measure on-time arrival rate (within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival) for specific routes, based on 60 days of observed flight data.
Sources
- CAA UK Flight Punctuality Statistics 2025 - caa.co.uk
- Press Association analysis, published 5 May 2026
- RouteRanking flight data based on 800+ observed departures from Manchester, collected via AeroDataBox API, covering the 60 days to 5 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Manchester Airport so bad for delays?
Manchester is the UK's only two-runway airport outside Heathrow, handling around 32 million passengers annually. The airport cites European air traffic control disruption and weather as primary causes, compounded by airspace restrictions over conflict zones affecting its long-haul network. Which? Travel has also ranked it last in its airport survey for four consecutive years.
Which Manchester to Dublin flight is most punctual?
Based on RouteRanking data, the 08:30 Ryanair service FR553 leads with 85.29% on-time across 34 tracked flights.
Which Manchester to Belfast flight should I avoid?
The 20:20 easyJet service U2707 to Belfast International is the weakest qualifying flight in this Manchester dataset at 40.35% on-time across 57 flights. The 15:30 easyJet service U2721 to Belfast City is even lower at 34.21%, though with a smaller sample of 38 flights.
Which Manchester to Ireland route is most reliable?
Manchester to Cork is the strongest Irish route from Manchester, averaging 85.18% on-time. The 08:15 Ryanair service FR767 leads at 94% across 50 tracked flights.
Is morning or afternoon better for flying from Manchester?
Morning departures consistently outperform afternoon ones on the Dublin route. The Belfast routes show less clear time-of-day patterns, suggesting deeper structural delay issues on those corridors.
Where can I check punctuality for my specific flight?
RouteRanking tracks flights across UK and Irish routes at routeranking.com. Search by route to see departures ranked by on-time performance.