# Airport delay rights: 30 airports by departure regime Source: https://airtravelrights.com/airports/ > UK261 pays £220-£520 from UK airports; EU261 pays €250-€600 from Dublin. The operating airline owes it, never the airport. # Airport delay and cancellation rights by airport 30 airports sit under this hub: 23 in the UK, Dublin, Toronto Pearson and 5 in the US. The table below maps your departure airport to the regulation that pays out, in its own currency, and adds the US rule, which pays no delay compensation. | Departure airport | Law | Currency | |:--|:--|:--| | Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham, Edinburgh (UK) | [UK261](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/) | £ | | Dublin (Ireland) | [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/) | € | | Toronto Pearson (Canada) | [Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR)](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/) | C$ | | Any US airport | [US Department of Transportation (DOT) rules](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/) | $ (no delay compensation) | Each row is the departure rule; on arrival a second law can reach the same flight, depending on which carrier operated it. Where a row pays, the operating airline owes the amount, never the airport company that runs the terminal. Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 art. 3(1)(a), 3(1)(b) and 3(5) - eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 art. 3(1)(a) - legislation.gov.uk; Canada Transportation Act s.86.11(1) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca; US DOT, Fly Rights - transportation.gov, checked 2026-09-15. ## Which rules cover flights departing UK airports? UK261 covers every flight leaving a UK airport, on any airline, in pounds: £220 up to 1,500 km, £350 up to 3,500 km and £520 beyond. Over 3,500 km, the CAA puts £260 on an arrival between three and four hours late ([Strike flight compensation](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/strike-flight-compensation/)). Source: UK261 art. 3(1)(a) (as substituted by SI 2019/278), art. 7(1) and art. 7(2)(c) - legislation.gov.uk; CAA, flight delays - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. Scope runs on the departure airport alone, so the operating carrier's nationality changes nothing on the way out: a non-UK airline leaving Manchester owes exactly what a UK one owes. 23 UK airports carry their own page here. Each one names the carriers based there and the escalation path once your claim is refused. The CAA's 2025 annual punctuality file measures 25 UK airports, and the three sections below read its figures for 16 of the 23 you can open from here; the other seven carry one headline figure each in the list below. Punctuality is not eligibility, and a CAA delay band is no legal threshold. UK261 pays on your own flight's arrival running three hours or more late, nothing else. **Sixteen UK airports with figures in the three sections below:** - [Heathrow](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/heathrow/) - [Gatwick](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/gatwick/) - [Manchester](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/manchester/) - [Stansted](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/stansted/) - [Luton](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/luton/) - [London City](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/london-city/) - [Birmingham](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/birmingham/) - [Edinburgh](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/edinburgh/) - [Glasgow](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/glasgow/) - [Bristol](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/bristol/) - [Newcastle](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/newcastle/) - [Liverpool](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/liverpool/) - [Leeds Bradford](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/leeds-bradford/) - [East Midlands](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/east-midlands/) - [Aberdeen](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/aberdeen/) - [Belfast International](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/belfast-international/) **Seven more UK airports (CAA 2025 file):** - [Belfast City](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/belfast-city/) — 27,527 matched flights, 2.3% cancelled; Northern Ireland courts - [Bournemouth](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/bournemouth/) — 18.4-minute average delay, 0.2% cancelled - [Cardiff](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/cardiff/) — 7,354 matched flights at a 15.4-minute average delay; England and Wales courts - [Exeter](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/exeter/) — 6,430 matched flights, 2.5% cancelled - [London Southend](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/southend/) — 5,020 matched flights, 12.4-minute average delay - [Southampton](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/southampton/) — 15,713 matched flights, 3.3% cancelled - [Teesside](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/teesside/) — 3,321 matched flights, 3.9% cancelled, the highest cancelled share of the seven Check your own flight's arrival time against the three-hour line, not your airport's yearly average. ## What does the CAA's 2025 file say about the London airports? [Heathrow](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/heathrow/) matched 475,582 flights in that file, more than any other UK airport in it. Its average delay held at 12.8 minutes, with 66.3% of those flights on time. The five London airports on this site split further apart than the shared catchment you book from would suggest. [Gatwick](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/gatwick/) ran 61.0% of its 259,345 matched flights inside the two CAA on-time bands, on an average delay of 16.8 minutes. [Stansted](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/stansted/) reached 64.0% on time and cancelled 0.3% of its flights, the smallest cancelled share of the five. [Luton](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/luton/) put 65.4% of its 103,370 matched flights on time, averaging 15.1 minutes of delay. [London City](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/london-city/) breaks the pattern. 37.2% of its 47,493 matched flights arrived 0 to 15 minutes late, the largest share in that band anywhere in the file, yet its average delay stopped at 11.9 minutes. Late by the clock, rarely late by much. A London departure is a UK261 departure whichever of the five you left from. These numbers describe the year, not your flight. Source: CAA, UK flight punctuality statistics 2025, annual summary - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. ## What does the CAA's 2025 file say about the English regional airports? [Manchester](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/manchester/) carried the longest average delay in the file, 19.8 minutes across 194,144 matched flights, with 59.2% of them on time. Six more English airports outside London have a page on this site, and the spread between them is wide enough that the regional label tells you nothing. [Birmingham](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/birmingham/) averaged 17.8 minutes of delay across 90,491 matched flights and ran 61.5% on time. [Bristol](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/bristol/) matched 72,010 flights at 65.2% on time, cancelling 0.6% of them. [Newcastle](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/newcastle/) put 36.2% of its 38,598 matched flights in the 0-to-15-minutes-late band, which lifted its on-time share to 66.0% on a 15.2-minute average. [East Midlands](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/east-midlands/) cancelled 0.1% of its flights, the lowest cancelled share of the 25 airports the file covers, over 24,682 matched flights and a 69.0% on-time share. [Leeds Bradford](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/leeds-bradford/) divided almost evenly between the two bands: 33.3% early, 33.7% between 0 and 15 minutes late, 67.0% together. [Liverpool](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/liverpool/) recorded the highest on-time share in the whole file, 73.5%, on an average delay of 11.1 minutes across 38,397 matched flights. That is a year of arrivals, not a rule. Your three-hour arrival delay out of Liverpool pays the same £220 to £520 as one out of Manchester. Source: CAA, UK flight punctuality statistics 2025, annual summary - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. ## What does the CAA's 2025 file say about the Scottish and Northern Irish airports? [Aberdeen](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/aberdeen/) held the shortest average delay of the 25 airports in the file, 10.8 minutes, and cancelled 3.4% of its flights in the same year. Three Scottish airports and one Northern Irish airport have a page on this site, and no single figure ranks them for you. [Belfast International](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/belfast-international/) put 46.6% of its 45,244 matched flights in the CAA's early band, the largest early share of any airport in the file. Add the second band and 71.2% ran on time, on a 12.7-minute average delay and 0.5% cancelled. [Glasgow](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/glasgow/) ran 69.7% on time over 65,973 matched flights at a 12.1-minute average, while cancelling 1.8%. [Edinburgh](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/edinburgh/), the largest of the three Scottish airports covered here at 117,237 matched flights, came in behind it on both: 64.6% on time and 15.3 minutes of average delay, with 1.1% cancelled. [Dublin](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/dublin/) appears nowhere in this file. The CAA measures UK airports, so an Irish departure has no row here. It carries no UK261 claim either. EU261 covers it instead, in euros, which is the one difference on this page that changes what an airline owes you. Open the page for the airport you are actually flying from. Source: CAA, UK flight punctuality statistics 2025, annual summary - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. ## Which rules cover flights departing Dublin? EU261 covers every flight leaving Dublin, on any airline, in euros: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km (or beyond within the EU) and €600 further still. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) enforces the rule as Ireland's National Enforcement Body, whichever country the operating airline is licensed in. Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 art. 3(1)(a) and 7(1) - eur-lex.europa.eu; Irish Aviation Authority, Air Passenger Rights - iaa.ie, checked 2026-09-15. Scope follows article 3(1)(a): any passenger leaving an airport in an EU Member State is covered, regardless of the carrier's nationality. [Dublin](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/dublin/) sits inside that territory, so any operating airline answers to the same regulation. If the airline does not resolve your claim, IAA guidance points to the District Court's Small Claims procedure or the European Small Claims Procedure. Source: IAA, Air Passenger Rights FAQs - iaa.ie, checked 2026-09-15. Send your claim to the operating airline in writing and keep its reply. - [Dublin](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/dublin/) — EU261 in euros; the Irish Aviation Authority takes EU261 complaints ## Which rules cover flights departing Toronto Pearson? Section 86.11(1) of the Canada Transportation Act brings every flight to, from and within Canada under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), Toronto Pearson included, on any airline, in Canadian dollars. How much a delay pays depends on whether a large or a small carrier operated your flight. Source: Canada Transportation Act s.86.11(1); APPR ss. 1(2), 19 - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15. The regulation sorts disruptions into three categories: outside the carrier's control, within its control but required for safety, and within its control and not required for safety. Only the third category pays compensation, and only on 14 days' notice or less. Any carrier can operate the disrupted flight; APPR does not check the carrier's home country. The [APPR guide](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/) covers the amounts by carrier size and how to complain to the Canadian Transportation Agency. **Canadian airport:** - [Toronto Pearson](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/toronto-pearson/) — APPR; C$400 to C$1,000 from a large carrier, C$125 to C$500 from a small one, when a 3-hour-plus delay was within the carrier's control and not required for safety Confirm which category the carrier applied to your disruption before assuming compensation is due, and ask it which carrier size sets your amount. ## Why does the arrival airport not decide your rights? 2 tests decide whether UK261 or EU261 reach an arriving flight, not the airport itself: the operating carrier's licence, and whether the passenger already received benefits or compensation and assistance in the country of departure. Landing at Heathrow or Dublin adds a second law only when both tests are met. Source: UK261 art. 3(1)(b) - legislation.gov.uk; Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 art. 3(1)(b) - eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15. [UK261](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/) covers an arrival into the UK on a UK or Community carrier, and an arrival into an EU Member State on a UK carrier only. EU261 covers an arrival into the EU only on a Community carrier. Both Regulations switch off if the passenger already received benefits or compensation and was given assistance in the country they left: a payout there is not topped up on arrival. Five US airports have a page here, and from each of them the same two tests decide whether a flight into Europe picks up EU261 or UK261; the US rule itself pays refunds, not delay compensation. **US airports (BTS domestic arrivals, July 2026):** - [Chicago O'Hare](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/chicago-ohare/) — 70.4% of 35,303 arrivals on time; tarmac-delay limits - [Denver](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/denver/) — 73.9% on time, the best of the five; 0.86% canceled - [JFK](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/jfk/) — 11.75% of arrivals canceled, against 2.79% nationally - [Newark](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/newark/) — 62.7% on time; 2.22% diverted, the highest share of the five - [San Francisco](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/san-francisco/) — 51.6% on time, the lowest of the five The [route decision guide](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/) works through both tests in full. Match the "operated by" line on your booking against the carrier's licence. General information, not legal advice. For your specific case: the CAA, the IAA, the Canadian Transportation Agency, Citizens Advice or a solicitor. ## Sources - Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3, 7 - [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261), checked 2026-09-15. - Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, arts. 3, 7 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/contents), checked 2026-09-15. - Irish Aviation Authority, Air Passenger Rights - [iaa.ie](https://www.iaa.ie/consumer-protection/air-passenger-rights), checked 2026-09-15. - Irish Aviation Authority, Air Passenger Rights FAQs - [iaa.ie](https://www.iaa.ie/consumer-protection/air-passenger-rights/apr-faqs), checked 2026-09-15. - Canada Transportation Act, s.86.11 - [laws-lois.justice.gc.ca](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-10.4/FullText.html), checked 2026-09-15. - Air Passenger Protection Regulations (SOR/2019-150), ss. 1, 10-12, 19 - [laws-lois.justice.gc.ca](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-150/FullText.html), checked 2026-09-15. - US DOT, Fly Rights - [transportation.gov](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights), checked 2026-09-15. - Civil Aviation Authority, Flight delays - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/flight-delays-and-cancellations/delays/), checked 2026-09-15. - Civil Aviation Authority, UK flight punctuality statistics 2025, annual summary (CSV) - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/Documents/Download/24022/3d82eddc-84f7-4692-bc12-a9ab96562d04/1712), checked 2026-09-15.