A new study by Locals Insider shows the airport recorded a lower percentage of flight delays for April departures than major UK hubs, including Edinburgh and Heathrow.
Based on Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data from April 2022 to April 2025, the analysis covered more than 650,000 flights across 24 UK airports.
Cardiff Airport recorded a delay rate of 23.8 per cent from 1,918 flights over the four-year period, compared to Edinburgh at 27.2 per cent, Heathrow at 26.4 per cent, and Gatwick at 26 per cent.
Newcastle (25.8 per cent) and Bristol (27 per cent) also reported higher delay rates than Cardiff.
Martin Danemaq, a spokesman for Locals Insider, said: “Cardiff Wales Airport comes out of our analysis in a positive light.
“With flights running on time more often than at Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and a host of other major UK airports, it’s a reassuring picture for Welsh travellers – particularly at a time when the airport is clearly going from strength to strength.
“With record passenger numbers this Easter and some exciting new routes on the horizon, Cardiff is having a strong year.
“Our data suggests that on punctuality – it’s holding its own well against airports handling far greater volumes of traffic, which bodes well as it continues to grow.”
The most delayed airports were Birmingham, where 29.9 per cent of flights were late, Manchester (29.8 per cent), and London Stansted (29.7 per cent).
Other high-delay airports included Luton (29.7 per cent), Edinburgh (27.2 per cent), and Bristol (27 per cent).
Airports with the lowest delay rates included Belfast City (17.6 per cent), East Midlands (17.8 per cent), and London City (18.4 per cent).
