A new ranking has identified the UK airports where travellers are most likely to face disruption during the festive season. With December remaining one of the peak months for international travel, millions of passengers pass through UK terminals in the run-up to Christmas. Using Civil Aviation Authority data from Christmas 2024, Quotezone.co.uk has produced its “Christmas Chaos Airport Index”, assessing the 14 busiest airports based on average delays, cancellation rates, long waits and passenger traffic.

Gatwick claimed the top spot as the most chaotic airport, reporting the longest average delay at 26 minutes – more than twice that recorded at East Midlands Airport. More than 20% of Gatwick flights ran over half an hour behind schedule. Manchester followed in second place, with average delays of 22 minutes and similarly high levels of extended waits. London Stansted came third, logging the highest proportion of long delays at just over 23%, although its cancellation rate was one of the lowest.

Heathrow, despite being the UK’s busiest airport, fared better than many might expect, recording an average delay of 18 minutes. In Scotland, Edinburgh was highlighted as the most disrupted airport overall, while Glasgow International had the highest cancellation rate across the index. London Luton, however, appeared near the bottom of the chaos rankings, with shorter delays and minimal cancellations despite serving more than one million passengers.

For travellers seeking the smoothest experience, East Midlands Airport proved to be the standout performer. It posted the lowest average delays, the fewest long waits and a cancellation rate of only 0.2%. As the UK braces for what is expected to be its busiest Christmas travel period on record, the findings may help passengers choose airports that offer a calmer and more reliable start to their festive journeys.