Blue Islands, a regional airline operating in the Channel Islands, has been named the UK's least punctual carrier by an aviation regulator.
The Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) latest “Aviation Trends” report found that the airline recorded the most cancellations and longest delays between April and June this year.
It analysed the top 20 largest airlines in the UK by air transport movements to calculate the percentage of on-time flights.
According to CAA figures, only 55 per cent of Blue Islands' services were on time or less than 15 minutes late.
Blue Islands operates flights between Guernsey and Jersey and the UK mainland.
A flight is considered “on-time” if it arrives or departs from the airport gate within 15 minutes of its scheduled time, say the CAA.
The regulator collects punctuality information on departures and arrivals from 25 UK airports.
Also ranking towards the bottom of the CAA list were Tui Airways (60 per cent on-time), Swiss Airlines (63 per cent) and Jet2 (69 per cent).
Blue Islands told BBC News: “We clearly acknowledged back in May that operational issues – industry-wide supply chain issues and late delivery of aircraft – had seriously impacted our on-time performance in Q2."
The airline added: “Since that time, we're heartened to report a marked improvement which will be visible in the next set of CAA figures.
“For example, in August, of our 863 flights, 74 per cent arrived on time and 99 per cent operated.”
At the other end of the scale, Scottish regional airline Loganair was found to be the most reliable, with 85 per cent of journeys departing and arriving as scheduled.
The Independent has contacted Blue Islands for comment.
Virgin Atlantic, Eurowings and British Airways all similarly recorded above 80 per cent for flight punctuality.
In April, Gatwick Airport retained the unwanted title of the UK's worst airport for flight delays, following air traffic control (ATC) disruption.
Analysis of CAA data revealed that departures from the West Sussex airport averaged delays exceeding 23 minutes in 2024.
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