London airports hit by worst delays in Europe

London's flagship airports were the worst performing in Europe for delays to flight departures during July, August and September, new figures reveal.

Data from the Association of European Airlines showed that Gatwick reported 41 per cent of its flights delayed for more than 15 minutes during the three month period.

Meanwhile, Heathrow was only slightly better with 39 per cent of its flights subject to delays.

The average length of a flight delay at Gatwick was 33 minutes, while at Gatwick delayed travellers were found to be waiting 31.8 minutes on average.

The London transport hubs were followed by Rome and Dublin. in the delays league table.

Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for the British Aviation Authority told the Telegraph: "There can be a number of root causes from bad weather across the Atlantic to a passenger arriving late at the gate."

Among the large European airports which outperformed the British hubs were Paris' Charles De Gaule and Frankfurt Airport, where delays to departing flights stood at 29 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

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