Flight cancellations from UK airports fall in August

Figures from aviation data company OAG, published in the Financial Times, show that just 0.34% of flights from UK airports were cancelled in the first week of August. This compares to a cancellation rate of more than 5% in the final week of June.

OAG’s data shows that cancellation rates from UK airports fell throughout the second half of July after Heathrow and Gatwick both imposed capacity caps for the peak summer season as they struggle to cope with a huge rebound in traffic after two years of Covid-19 restrictions.

John Grant, senior analyst at OAG, pointed out that airline seat capacity from the UK had nearly doubled from a year ago, which had put a severe strain on the aviation industry.

“The issue with resources has been well documented, with British Airways suspending short-haul ticket sales from Heathrow to Europe last week,” said Grant.

“Despite all the press coverage, not as well documented is how cancellation rates have fallen in the UK. You would have to be very unlucky to have your flight cancelled at the moment.”

Grant added that Heathrow only reported a 0.34% cancellation rate during the first week of August, well down from a rate of 2.17% in the final week of July. While at the key leisure airport of Gatwick, the proportion of cancelled flights was only 0.12%, which is significantly below the UK average.

OAG’s figures back up the assertion by Heathrow’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye on Thursday (11 August) that its current cap of 100,000 departing passengers per day was delivering “better, more reliable journeys” for travellers.

The drop in the number of flights being axed is also reflected across western Europe, which saw cancellation rates fall from a high of 3.14% in the second week of July to 1.47 per cent by the final week of the month. The major European hubs of Frankfurt and Schiphol have also imposed capacity cuts this summer.