The worst airline for cancellations revealed – and it’s not Ryanair or EasyJet | Travel News | Travel

Flight cancellations can be an absolute pain for too many reasons to list, and because of the inconveniences they cause, many travellers tend to avoid certain airlines just to minimise the risks of a cancellation.

However, research has now uncovered which airline is the worst for cancellations.

Eastern Airways, which is one of the country’s leading domestic airlines, has been revealed as having the highest cancellation rate in 2024.

The Telegraph used data supplied by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the UK.

With that information, major airlines with the best and worst cancellations were ranked and Eastern Airways managed to bag the number one spot as the worst.

It was reported that the airline had a cancellation rate of one in every seven flights. Eastern Airways sees around 800,000 passengers fly with the airline annually. It operates domestic, international and private charter flights. 

However, the airline is predominantly domestic and serves smaller coastal and island airports, where factors such as weather could play a part. Thus, the results aren’t too shocking.

British Airways had one cancellation for every 44 flights. EasyJet did better, with one cancellation for every 110 flights.

But when it came to some of the best airlines, two budget airlines emerged strong.

Ryanair, known for its offers of budget flights across many destinations in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, did exceptionally well last year. The low-cost airline had an incredible record of one cancellation for every 607 flights, marking it fourth place in the ranking.

At the number one spot, beating the likes of major airlines such as Qatar Airways was the UK’s own Jet2.

The airline, which is also one of the largest airlines in the country and is also the largest tour operator in the UK, had a cancellation rate of only 33 flights across 54,074 departures from the UK.