BLUE Islands’ poor performance before its collapse in November contributed to the Airport being ranked the fifth worst in the British Isles for flight delays last year, according to analysis of official data from the Civil Aviation Authority.
According to the Times, the average delay last year for departures from Jersey was 16m 47s, putting it on a par with Gatwick. The airport with the longest average delay was Manchester, at 19m 48s, followed by Bournemouth and Birmingham.
Ports of Jersey said that delays were caused by a multitude of reasons, often outside of its control.
A spokesperson said: “We know how important being on time is to passengers and we continue to work with all partners at the airport to ensure flights can depart on schedule.
“A range of operational factors can contribute to delays in an aircraft’s departure or arrival, many of which are outside the direct control of the airport. These can include adverse weather conditions, air traffic control restrictions, aircraft availability, and specific issues within individual airlines’ networks.
“Blue Islands recorded the highest average delay of all UK airlines. As Jersey Airport was the airline’s primary base, its operational challenges had a disproportionate impact on the Airport’s overall average delay performance. Loganair was the UK’s second most punctual airline in 2025.”
Not long before Blue Island’s demise, the Guernsey-founded airline was ranked bottom of the CAA’s UK flight-punctuality list for the second quarter of last year, with only 55% of its flights leaving on time.
Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said the choice of airport “shouldn’t make or break your trip” but “too many holidays got off to a terrible start last year”.
He added: “Manchester Airport has ranked last in our airport survey for four consecutive years and these new CAA figures validate why this is a particularly poor place to be stranded during delays.
“For passengers already wary of travel uncertainty, seeing such consistent underperformance makes it difficult to book with any real confidence.”
Cancellations were not included in the statistics.
Anna Bowles, head of consumer at the CAA, urged the aviation industry to be “focused on delivering punctual and reliable journeys for passengers wherever possible” as she warned that delays have a “real impact for people heading off on holidays”.
She added: “When disruption occurs, how the industry responds really matters.
“Passengers should be kept informed and given the care and support they are entitled to.”
A spokesperson for trade body AirportsUK said passengers are “benefiting from improvements in the service they receive”, and delays in 2025 were “down significantly on the previous year”.
