In short: The route is 230 km long, so a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth £220 per passenger from Edinburgh (UK261). In 2025, 0.52% of flights on the route were at least 3 hours late and 0.68% were cancelled.
How punctual is the route?
- Flights operated
- 3,806
- On time (≤ 15 min late)
- 79.1%
- 3 hours or more late
- 0.52%
- Cancelled
- 0.68%
- Average delay
- 12.4 min
2025, at UK airports
close to the UK average (72.7%)
1 in 192 flights · close to the UK average
26 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
Of the airlines with at least 200 flights on the route, easyJet had the lowest share of 3-hour-plus delays (0.47%) and Ryanair the highest (0.56%). A single bad day can move these figures, so read them as a guide, not a forecast.
Airlines on this route
| Airline | Flights | On time | 3 h+ late | Cancelled | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| easyJet | 2,730 | 81.0% | 0.47% | 0.84% | 11 min |
| Ryanair | 1,075 | 74.4% | 0.56% | 0.28% | 16 min |
What you can claim
| Direction | Rules | 3 h+ delay or late cancellation |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh → Belfast | UK261 – departure from a UK airport, any airline | £220 |
Compensation is fixed by distance, not by the ticket price, and is paid per passenger, children included. It is not due if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay you are entitled to care (meals, drinks, a hotel if needed) and, after a cancellation, to a refund or re-routing.
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More routes
- Edinburgh → London7,723 flights
- Edinburgh → Dublin7,483 flights
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- Edinburgh → Bristol2,874 flights
- Edinburgh → Southampton2,309 flights
- Edinburgh → Belfast2,154 flights
- Edinburgh → Birmingham2,110 flights
- Edinburgh → London2,082 flights
- London Stansted → Belfast3,778 flights
- Manchester → Belfast3,778 flights
- London Gatwick → Belfast2,796 flights
- Liverpool John Lennon → Belfast2,631 flights
- Birmingham → Belfast2,472 flights
- Glasgow → Belfast2,355 flights
- London Luton → Belfast2,289 flights
- Newcastle → Belfast1,768 flights
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Edinburgh to Belfast flight?
The great-circle distance is 230 km (143 miles). On the flight from Edinburgh UK261 applies: £220 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more.
How often are flights between Edinburgh and Belfast delayed or cancelled?
In 2025 the CAA recorded 3,806 flights on this route (both directions, measured at Edinburgh). 79.1% were on time or less than 15 minutes late, 0.52% were 3 hours or more late (about 1 in 192), and 0.68% were cancelled. The average delay was 12.4 minutes.
Does the airline have to pay if the delay was caused by weather or a strike?
Not if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances – for example severe weather or an air traffic control strike – and that it took all reasonable measures. Technical faults and strikes by the airline’s own staff do not normally count. What counts as extraordinary.
Sources
- UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 – legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – EUR-Lex
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