Exeter Airport Tops List for Flight Cancellations Despite 'Best Airport' Accolade
New analysis reveals the UK airports with the highest rates of cancelled flights, with Exeter leading the list despite recent positive customer ratings.
New analysis by aerospace tooling supplier Heamar has identified Exeter Airport as having the highest flight cancellation rates among 25 of the UK's busiest airports. Despite recently being named Britain's 'best' airport by Which? magazine, Exeter recorded a cancellation rate of 5.27% between January and June 2026, meaning approximately one in every 19 flights was cancelled.
This figure is nearly 29 times higher than that of Prestwick Airport, which had a cancellation rate of just 0.18% during the same period.
Southampton Airport followed Exeter with the second-highest cancellation rate at 4.43%. London City Airport ranked third with 2.44% of flights cancelled, followed by Inverness Airport at 2.24%, and Heathrow Airport in fifth place with 1.84%.
Other airports in the top ten for cancellations include Birmingham (1.53%), Glasgow (1.46%), Aberdeen (1.45%), Edinburgh (1.15%), and Gatwick (1.08%).
The research covered data from all of 2025 and the first six months of 2026. In the first half of 2026, a total of 12,373 flights were cancelled across the 25 analysed airports, an increase of almost 2,000 compared to the same period in the previous year. This represents an 18.6% year-on-year jump in cancellations, despite only a 0.8% increase in flight movements.
A spokesperson for Exeter Airport attributed its high cancellation rate to flights serving offshore islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Channel Islands. These routes are noted as being particularly susceptible to adverse weather conditions like fog, low cloud, and strong winds, which can lead to cancellations even when conditions at Exeter itself are clear. The airport stated these factors are beyond its control and should not reflect its operational performance.
Southampton Airport's spokesperson cited various reasons for flight cancellations, including weather, air traffic congestion, delayed arrivals, and technical aircraft issues, and affirmed their commitment to working with airline partners to support operations.
This analysis follows a separate report by Which? that declared Manchester T3 as the nation's worst airport based on factors including late cancellations, queue lengths, and the quality of food and drink outlets.