In short: Any flight departing from Cardiff Airport is covered by UK261 (£220/£350/£520); flights to Cardiff from an EU airport are covered by EU261 – the conditions are the same. If the airline turns your claim down, you can escalate to its ADR scheme or to the CAA, and then to the small claims court.
About the airport
Cardiff handled 7,352 commercial flights in 2025 according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the 22th-highest number among the 25 UK airports the CAA reports on. The busiest airlines here were TUI Airways, KLM, Ryanair; the busiest destinations Amsterdam, Alicante, Belfast.
Every flight departing from Cardiff is covered by UK261, whatever the airline. Flights arriving here are covered by EU261 if they depart from an EU airport, and by UK261 if a UK or EU airline operates them from elsewhere.
How punctual is Cardiff? (2025)
- Flights operated
- 7,352
- On time (≤ 15 min late)
- 72.1%
- 3 hours or more late
- 0.54%
- Cancelled
- 0.93%
- Average delay
- 15.4 min
2025, at UK airports
close to the UK average (72.7%)
1 in 185 flights · close to the UK average
69 flights · close to the UK average
UK average 15.1 min
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics 2025 – departures and arrivals combined, measured against the schedule at the UK airport. How we use this data
Airlines at Cardiff
| Airline | Flights | On time | 3 h+ late | Cancelled | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUI Airways | 2,716 | 65.9% | 0.70% | 0.00% | 20 min |
| KLM | 1,395 | 74.1% | 0.07% | 3.59% | 12 min |
| Ryanair | 1,299 | 75.8% | 0.23% | 0.00% | 13 min |
| Aer Lingus | 760 | 79.7% | 0.91% | 1.68% | 12 min |
| Vueling | 551 | 78.0% | 0.18% | 0.36% | 11 min |
| Loganair | 498 | 76.2% | 1.20% | 0.40% | 15 min |
Top destinations from Cardiff – and what a delay is worth
The 15 busiest destinations in 2025, with the compensation for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation: UK261 (£) on the way out, and on the way back EU261 (€) from EU airports or UK261 with a UK/EU airline.
| Destination | Flights | 3 h+ late | Cancelled | Distance | From CWL | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 1,402 | 0.07% | 3.58% | 566 km | £220 | €250 |
| Alicante | 764 | 0.13% | 0.00% | 1,474 km | £220 | €250 |
| Belfast | 717 | 0.96% | 1.78% | 396 km | £220 | £220 |
| Dublin | 664 | 0.45% | 0.00% | 300 km | £220 | €250 |
| Málaga | 608 | 0.00% | 0.33% | 1,640 km | £350 | €400 |
| Edinburgh | 480 | 1.24% | 0.41% | 506 km | £220 | £220 |
| Tenerife | 421 | 0.24% | 0.00% | 2,822 km | £350 | €400 |
| Palma de Mallorca | 259 | 0.39% | 0.00% | 1,399 km | £220 | €250 |
| Lanzarote | 206 | 1.46% | 0.00% | 2,638 km | £350 | €400 |
| Dalaman | 138 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 3,006 km | £350 | UK/EU airline only |
| Paphos | 125 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 3,401 km | £350 | €400 |
| Faro | 121 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 1,640 km | £350 | €400 |
| Enfidha | 118 | 3.39% | 0.00% | 2,024 km | £350 | UK/EU airline only |
| Gran Canaria | 109 | 0.92% | 0.00% | 2,797 km | £350 | €400 |
| Rhodes | 101 | 1.96% | 0.00% | 2,984 km | £350 | €400 |
All routes from Cardiff: route list · UK delay statistics
Delays at Cardiff in numbers
- In 2025, 72.1% of flights at Cardiff were on time or less than 15 minutes late (UK average 72.7%).
- 0.54% of flights – about 1 in 185 – were 3 hours or more late, the threshold for compensation if the airline was responsible.
- 0.93% of planned flights were cancelled (69 flights; UK average 1.04%).
- The average delay was 15.4 minutes (UK average 15.1 minutes).
Airlines you are likely to fly with here
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Local information
- Complaints about UK261 go first to the airline; if it is a member of an alternative dispute resolution scheme (AviationADR or CEDR), you can escalate there after 8 weeks or a final response – otherwise to the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team. See our how-to-claim guide.
- Time limits in the UK: 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 5 years in Scotland.
- Keep your boarding pass, booking confirmation and receipts for meals, transport or a hotel – you can claim reasonable costs back if the airline did not provide care.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim compensation for a flight departing from Cardiff Airport?
Yes. Since Brexit the United Kingdom applies its own rule with the same content (UK261): any flight departing from Cardiff Airport can give £220, £350 or £520 depending on distance, under the same conditions as EU261.
Can I claim compensation for a flight arriving at Cardiff Airport?
If the flight departed from an EU airport: yes, under EU261, with any airline. If it departed from outside the EU and the UK: only if a UK or EU airline operated it.
How is the length of the delay measured?
By your arrival time at your final destination – more precisely, the moment the aircraft door opens at the gate. It must be at least 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time.
Related guides
- Flight delay compensation
- Missed connection compensation
- National enforcement bodies and ADR
- All airports
Information only, not legal advice. Passenger figures are approximate and based on the airports' published statistics; punctuality figures are from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We earn a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links is successful.
Sources
- Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
- UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- Delays and cancellations – your rights – UK Civil Aviation Authority
We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.