Worst airports in Europe to travel to as Heathrow chaos continues

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Disruption at some of the most popular destination airports in Europe could not have come at a worse time.

Just when you thought it was safe to sit back and relax in the departure lounge, delays and cancellations are once again affecting passengers as airlines prepare for a tricky few months ahead.

Data collected by the Official Aviation Guide, a provider or digital flight information and analytics for the airline industry, revealed the best and worst performing airports across Europe.

Airport on-time performance is based on actual departure gate times within 15 minutes of schedule and includes cancellations.

Any flights arriving 15 minutes or more after their due landing time were considered to be delayed.

The on-time performance metric is a key indicator for airlines, with delays hitting productivity and budgets.

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While 15 minutes is the industry standard definition of a late landing across Europe, in other regions such as China 30 minutes is the benchmark for an official delay.

According to the latest data, recorded from July 1 to July 9, Brussels Airport was the worst performing with 72 per cent of flights delayed and Orio Al Serio Airport in Bergamo, Italy, was the best with just 3 per cent of flights delayed.

England, the Netherlands and France all had two airports in the worst performing top 10 list for cancellations, but London Heathrow escaped a mention — despite a recent cap on passenger numbers allowed through the airport this summer and the cancellation of some scheduled flights.

The top 10 worst airports for delays

1. Belgium — Brussels Airport (BRU)

Delayed: 72 per cent of flights

Cancelled: 2.5 per cent of flights

2. Germany — Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)

Delayed: 68 per cent

Cancelled: 7.8 per cent

3. Netherlands — Eindhoven Airport (EIN)

Delayed: 67 per cent

Cancelled: 1.8 per cent

4. England — Luton Airport (LTN)

Delayed: 66 per cent

Cancelled: 2.7 per cent

5. Portugal — Lisbon Airport (LIS)

Delayed: 65 per cent

Cancelled: 4.8 per cent

6. Hungary — Budapest, Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD)

Delayed: 65 per cent

Cancelled: 2.1 per cent

7. France — Paris, Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG)

Delayed: 62 per cent

Cancelled: 3.1 per cent

8. Netherlands — Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport (AMS)

Delayed: 61 per cent

Cancelled: 5.2 per cent

9. France — Nice, Cote d’Azur Airport (NCE)

Delayed: 60 per cent

Cancelled: 3.4 per cent

10. England — London, Gatwick Airport (LGW)

Delayed: 59 per cent

Cancelled: 1.4 per cent

Top 10 best airports for travel

Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport, Italy, was the best airport with the least delays and flight cancellations. Getty Images

1: Italy, Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport (BGY)

Delayed: 3 per cent of flights

Cancelled: 1 per cent of flights

2: Spain, Gran Canaria Airport (LPA)

Delayed: 8 per cent

Cancelled: 0.3 per cent

3: Romania, Bucharest Otopeni International Airport (OTP)

Delayed: 10 per cent

Cancelled: 1.7 per cent

4: Ireland, Dublin International Airport (DUB)

Delayed: 15 per cent

Cancelled: 1.6 per cent

5: Italy, Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA)

Delayed: 16 per cent

Cancelled: 1.1 per cent

6: Spain, Madrid, Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport (MAD)

Delayed: 19 per cent

Cancelled: 0.4 per cent

7: Spain, Alicante Airport (ALC)

Delayed: 20 per cent

Cancelled 3.4 per cent

8: France, Marseille Airport (MRS)