In short: Any flight departing from East Midlands Airport is covered by UK261 (£220/£350/£520); flights to East Midlands 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.
Live at East Midlands (EMA) today
About the airport
East Midlands handled 24,682 commercial flights in 2025 according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the 17th-highest number among the 25 UK airports the CAA reports on. The busiest airlines here were Ryanair, Jet2, TUI Airways; the busiest destinations Alicante, Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca.
Every flight departing from East Midlands 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 East Midlands? (2025)
- Flights operated
- 24,682
- On time (≤ 15 min late)
- 75.0%
- 3 hours or more late
- 0.43%
- Cancelled
- 0.12%
- Average delay
- 13.9 min
2025, at UK airports
close to the UK average (72.7%)
1 in 233 flights · better than the UK average
29 flights · better than 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 East Midlands
| Airline | Flights | On time | 3 h+ late | Cancelled | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | 10,404 | 74.9% | 0.42% | 0.08% | 14 min |
| Jet2 | 8,680 | 75.9% | 0.45% | 0.08% | 13 min |
| TUI Airways | 4,629 | 75.3% | 0.26% | 0.02% | 13 min |
| Blue Islands | 477 | 66.2% | 1.65% | 2.25% | 24 min |
| Aer Lingus | 385 | 74.4% | 1.03% | 0.52% | 15 min |
Top destinations from East Midlands – and what a delay is worth
The 30 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 EMA | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alicante | 2,132 | 0.38% | 0.00% | 1,619 km | £350 | €400 |
| Tenerife | 1,877 | 0.37% | 0.05% | 3,029 km | £350 | €400 |
| Palma de Mallorca | 1,821 | 0.71% | 0.00% | 1,509 km | £350 | €400 |
| Málaga | 1,639 | 0.37% | 0.00% | 1,813 km | £350 | €400 |
| Lanzarote | 1,353 | 0.15% | 0.07% | 2,840 km | £350 | €400 |
| Faro | 1,311 | 0.23% | 0.23% | 1,833 km | £350 | €400 |
| Dublin | 1,034 | 0.19% | 0.00% | 336 km | £220 | €250 |
| Gran Canaria | 766 | 0.26% | 0.00% | 3,001 km | £350 | €400 |
| Rhodes | 595 | 0.84% | 0.17% | 2,924 km | £350 | €400 |
| Dalaman | 580 | 0.17% | 0.00% | 2,942 km | £350 | UK/EU airline only |
| Fuerteventura | 543 | 0.74% | 0.00% | 2,900 km | £350 | €400 |
| Kraków | 540 | 1.67% | 0.18% | 1,489 km | £220 | €250 |
| Antalya | 520 | 0.38% | 0.19% | 3,050 km | £350 | UK/EU airline only |
| Jersey | 510 | 1.54% | 1.54% | – | – | – |
| Barcelona | 435 | 0.46% | 0.00% | 1,308 km | £220 | €250 |
| Ibiza | 429 | 0.23% | 0.00% | 1,566 km | £350 | €400 |
| Paphos | 428 | 0.23% | 0.00% | 3,331 km | £350 | €400 |
| Corfu | 423 | 0.47% | 0.00% | 2,184 km | £350 | €400 |
| Menorca | 414 | 0.24% | 0.48% | 1,502 km | £350 | €400 |
| Belfast | 383 | 1.04% | 0.52% | 359 km | £220 | £220 |
| Wrocław | 379 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 1,259 km | £220 | €250 |
| Crete | 342 | 0.29% | 0.00% | 2,845 km | £350 | €400 |
| Zakynthos | 328 | 0.30% | 0.00% | 2,396 km | £350 | €400 |
| Larnaca | 309 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 3,388 km | £350 | €400 |
| Belfast | 308 | 0.65% | 0.32% | 380 km | £220 | £220 |
| Knock | 296 | 0.34% | 0.00% | 511 km | £220 | €250 |
| Kos | 293 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 2,833 km | £350 | €400 |
| Prague | 288 | 0.35% | 0.00% | 1,119 km | £220 | €250 |
| Reus | 285 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 1,313 km | £220 | €250 |
| Girona | 276 | 0.36% | 0.00% | 1,253 km | £220 | €250 |
All routes from East Midlands: route list · UK delay statistics
Air traffic flow delays at East Midlands (2025)
EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 26,911 flights arrived at EMA; 59 of them were held back this way, 30 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.07 minutes per arrival.
What caused the ATFM delay
Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Worst days: 15 November 2025 – 740 minutes, mostly accident/incident; 28 July 2025 – 265 minutes, mostly accident/incident; 9 November 2025 – 90 minutes, mostly ATC staffing.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 21,176 arrivals, 0.07 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly ATC staffing (86%) and equipment (ATC) (14%).
Check what happened at EMA on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (38%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.
Delays at East Midlands in numbers
- In 2025, 75.0% of flights at East Midlands were on time or less than 15 minutes late (UK average 72.7%).
- 0.43% of flights – about 1 in 233 – were 3 hours or more late, the threshold for compensation if the airline was responsible.
- 0.12% of planned flights were cancelled (29 flights; UK average 1.04%).
- The average delay was 13.9 minutes (UK average 15.1 minutes).
Airlines you are likely to fly with here
Check your flight from East Midlands
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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 East Midlands Airport?
Yes. Since Brexit the United Kingdom applies its own rule with the same content (UK261): any flight departing from East Midlands 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 East Midlands 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
- EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
- 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.