Heathrow rated worst performing airport in Europe

The UK’s Heathrow Airport has been named the worst performing airport in Europe out of 27 surveyed, according to a recent report.

The latest report issued by the Association of European Airlines shows that almost half of all flights into and out of Heathrow Airport experience delays, making it Europe’s worst performing airport.

The Association’s report figures to substantiate the claim that Heathrow was the worst-performing airport, include data indicating that 44.1 per cent of all outbound flights to the continent were at least 15 minutes delayed, and that 45.1 per cent of all inbound flights were held up.

The performance data for Heathrow demonstrate that the average delay for departing flights has increased from 35 minutes at the end of 2007 to 39.5 minutes for the first quarter of 2008.

In contrast, flights at the Munich airport experienced the smallest percentage of delays, with only 17.6 per cent of the airport’s departures held up.

In May, Willie Walsh, the British Airways boss, commented that Heathrow had been a ‘national embarrassment for years.’

The report issued by the Association of European Airlines follows closely on the damage to Heathrow’s reputation surrounding the chaotic opening of its Terminal 5. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, thousands of bags were misplaced and thousands of passengers experienced travel delays.

www.britishairways.com