BRITANNIAAirways has failed to follow its main charter rivals and cut delays last year, according to official aviation industry figures.
The Thomson Travel Group-owned carrier’s aircraft were on average 44 minutes late – twice the delay of 22 minutes for 1997.
Aspokesman for Britannia said Spanish and Greek industrial action, coupled with Caribbean hurricanes, conspired to set its performance back last year.
Top of the Air Transport Users Council 1998 charter league table was Thomas Cook-owned Flying Colours. It halved its delays to just 8mins.
Second and third in the table were Pegasus Airlines and British Airways with delay figures of 12 and 20minsrespectively.
AUC chairman Ian Hamer said: “The charter sector as a whole is to be commended for containing delays at the level of 1997, despite an overall increase in air traffic. Britannia has been a model for other airlines and we are looking to it to recover its position in 1999.”
The AUC table is drawn up using Civil Aviation Authority punctuality figures compiled by the UK’s nine busiest airports.