A new independent report reveals Liverpool John Lennon Airport sees a greater percentage of flights leave on time than any other English airport. Tony McDonough reports
More than 90% of flights depart Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) on time, a new independent report reveals, making it the best in England and the third best in the UK.
Aviation analytics company Cirium says that in 2021, 90.23% of flights departed Liverpool within 15 minutes of the scheduled time. This is recognised as a standard measure in the aviation industry. Only Belfast International and George Best Belfast City did better.
After enduring its worst-ever year in 2020 due to the global pandemic, LJLA saw a big increase in the number of flights in 2021. Its main carriers Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air all increased capacity during the year and also introduced new routes.
Between them the three airlines operates more than 70 routes out of Liverpool. During 2021 Ryanair and easyJet were the busiest international carriers in the UK. Ryanair is the biggest carrier at LJLA with 37 routes.
And in a huge shot in the arm for LJLA, in December that German airline Lufthansa announced it was launching a link between Liverpool and Frankfurt in 2022, connecting Liverpool with multiple global destinations.
Paul Staples, LJLA’s operations director, said: “Despite the continued challenges due to COVID-19 on our operations over the past 12 months, we have continued to maintain the highest standards of operational performance and are particularly pleased to see that we lead the way in England when it comes to on time performance.
“This is really important both for our airline partners and for our passengers who choose to travel from here and is recognition for all the hard work by staff from the airport, airlines, handling agents and other companies working together to help flights operate on time.
“Passengers from across the city region, the North West and North Wales can continue to benefit from our faster, easier, friendlier approach, knowing that more flights from Liverpool depart on time than from any other airport in England.”
Cirium’s 2021 On-Time Performance Review for Airlines and Airports can be viewed in full online at www.cirium.com