Over 1,250 flights cancelled in Northern Ireland last year - that's around 24 cancellations flights per week

New government data has revealed a surge in cancelled flights at airports across Northern Ireland last year.

As Covid-19 travel restrictions have now eased significantly, summer 2023 is set to see international travel and flights spike in demand. However, data analysed by CompareNI.com shows that 1,258 flights in total were cancelled from Northern Ireland in 2022, averaging around 24 cancelled flights per week.

This is over four times more than the number of cancelled flights in the same period in 2021, when just 284 flights were cancelled in Northern Ireland.

Even compared to pre-pandemic travel levels, there is a significant increase in cancelled flights. In 2019, out of the 84,916 scheduled flights from Northern Ireland just 347 were cancelled. In comparison in 2022, there were 17,864 less scheduled flights, with 67,052, yet 1258 of these were cancelled.

Out of the three Northern Irish airports, Belfast City had the most cancellations with 947 – 3% higher than Belfast International. Belfast International had the largest volume of flights, with 10,181 more than Belfast City and just 275 cancellations. Derry City airport had 36 cancellations.

Commenting on the data, Ian Wilson, managing director at CompareNI.com, said: “It’s great to see people back at the airports after the pandemic and excited to be on their travels. However, there’s nothing more frustrating than flight cancellations and it’s worrying to see that flight numbers are lower but cancellations are on the rise.

“If you haven’t set off yet make sure to protect yourself with an appropriate travel insurance policy, purchased at the same time as the holiday as it can help with cancellations, delays and lost baggage.

“If you’re about to book your holiday, make sure it’s ATOL and ABTA protected which can help with replacement holidays and refunds. If you’re already at the airport with none of this protection, check how you paid for your trip, if you used your credit card then you could be in luck, in the case of a cancellation, the credit card company will do everything to try and get your money back from the cancelled source or give you a refund.

“I’d also stay in close contact with the airline, if the cancellation or delay is their fault, they usually offer vouchers, refunds or replacement trips - depending on how far you’re flying and how long you’re delayed.”

CompareNI.com has helped over 650,000 users find savings on everything from travel insurance to niche items such as holiday home, motorhome and caravan insurance.