Forecast for Easter 2025: AirHelp reveals what UK passengers can expect this year

• Flight punctuality has declined with 27% of air travellers suffering delays at Easter in 2024

• More than 69,000 passengers were eligible for compensation last year

• London Gatwick ranked as the second most disrupted airport in 2023 and 2024

London – 14 April 2025 – As Easter approaches and many people prepare to travel, AirHelp, the leading travel tech company supporting passengers with flight disruptions, has analysed recent Easter tourism trends to reveal what passengers can expect when taking a trip this year.

AirHelp analysed flight disruptions between Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2023 (7 April to 10 April) and 2024 (29 March to 1 April). During this period, over 1.5 million passengers departed from UK airports in 2023, with that number rising to 1.56 million in 2024. Disruption rates also grew, with 22% of passengers affected in 2023 and 28% in 2024. What’s more, the number of people impacted by flight cancellations saw a significant increase, from 17,000 passengers in 2023 to 55,000 in 2024.

The most fortunate passengers were those who travelled on Easter Sunday in 2023 (9 April), with 84% departing on time, followed by 79% on Saturday 8 April. Passengers travelling on Easter Saturday in 2024 (30 March) also fared well, with 72% departing on time, but the best day was Easter Monday (1 April) when 77% of flights were on schedule. In contrast, the worst day to travel in 2023 was Easter Monday, when 27% of passengers faced disruptions. Easter Sunday in 2024 also saw a high disruption rate, with 30% of passengers affected.

AirHelp’s data revealed that 26,000 people were eligible for compensation from their airline in 2023. This number dropped slightly in 2024, reaching 20,000. Under UK261, the United Kingdom’s air passenger rights regulation, passengers are entitled to financial compensation if they experience delays of more than three hours, cancellations less than 14 days before departure, or denied boarding due to overbooking - provided the airline is at fault.

When looking at the most disrupted UK airports, with more than 20,000 passengers, Aldergrove International Airport in Belfast, ranked the highest in 2023, with 30% of passengers disrupted over the Easter weekend. In 2024, Birmingham International Airport saw even higher disruption rates, impacting 40% of passengers. London Gatwick came in second place both years, with 26% of passengers disrupted in 2023 and 36% in 2024.

Conversely, East Midlands Airport and Liverpool John Lennon came out on top for their on-time performance, with 88% of passengers departing on time at East Midlands in 2023 and 83% at Liverpool John Lennon in 2024. Leeds Bradford Airport also recorded strong results, with 84% of passengers departing on time in 2023 and 80% in 2024.

Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, comments: “AirHelp has one of the most reliable and accurate collections of flight data in the world. This helps us provide holidaymakers with an in-depth analysis of how airports are performing ahead of Easter this year, helping them plan their trips more effectively. With flight disruptions continuing to rise year on year, our mission to ensure passengers fully understand their air passenger rights has never been more important.”

About AirHelp

AirHelp is a travel tech company tackling flight disruptions. Since 2013, it has won compensation for over 2.7 million passengers with a flight delay or cancellation. 9 million passengers have protected their flights with AirHelp+, and countless millions more benefit from the expert information freely available on www.airhelp.com/en-gb/.

AirHelp is also investing in a greener future — it has pledged to plant 1 tree for every 100 flight disruptions and so far it has planted 102,836 trees. As air passenger rights advocates, AirHelp cares about people, and caring about people also means caring about the planet.

#1 source for flight compensation worldwide

With innovative artificial intelligence and a dedicated team of over 400 AirHelpers, AirHelp makes it easy for any traveler in the EU, UK and beyond to receive up to £520 for flight delays and cancellations. For more information about AirHelp, visit: www.airhelp.com/en-gb/.