Holidaymakers searching for a smoother start to their travels may want to look east, because London Southend Airport has emerged as the capital’s most punctual airport, according to new data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
 
During the busy July – September 2025 period, 75% of flights from London Southend departed or arrived within 15 minutes of schedule – the highest on-time performance of any London airport.

By comparison flights at Heathrow were on schedule only 71% of the time; at London City it was 67% and at Luton it was 64%. The London airports with the lowest punctualities were Stansted at 60% and Gatwick at 56%.
 
Serving Essex, London and East Anglia, SEN didn’t just top the London rankings – it also placed fourth in the UK overall, not far behind leading airports Aberdeen (78%), Liverpool (77%) and Isle of Man (76%). Of these top four UK airports, London Southend was the most reliable at getting holidaymakers away on their well-earned summer breaks with the lowest number of cancellations during July to September.
 
Celebrating the news, London Southend CEO Jude Winstanley said: “These results aren’t a surprise. We have an amazing team who are focused on making every journey special for our passengers. Achieving these strong punctuality results in the busiest three months of the year means that more people get on their holidays sooner from London Southend rather than being sat on the tarmac waiting to take-off at other London airports.” 
 
And the airport isn’t slowing down. Fresh off the back of the CAA stats, London Southend and airline partner easyJet have announced new routes for summer 2026, including twice-weekly flights to Jersey, starting in March, as well as twice-weekly flights to Munich, which will operate in late September and early October.