Which French airport ranks the worst for delays?
A new study offers data on the best and worst airports for punctuality
Flight performance varies considerably depending on airport size and traffic levels
Song_about_summer/Shutterstock.
A new study has ranked airports in France for punctuality, with passengers at the country’s worst performing airport regularly experiencing delays of 75 minutes.
The study by Luko analysed 15,757 flights across French airports between 2020 and 2025, using Eurocontrol pre-departure delay data. For each airport, the total number of delay minutes was divided by the number of departures, and then standardised per 100 flights.
In the case of the best-performing airports – Brest Bretagne Airport, Agen-la Garenne, Angers-Marcé Airport, Annecy-Meythet Airport, and Cannes-Mandelieu Airport – no measurable delays were recorded per 100 departures during the study period.
With all the above smaller regional airports, the study by Luko, a French travel insurance company owned by Allianz Direct, highlighted the clear difference between low-traffic local airports and high-traffic larger hubs.
Small, regional airports have lower passenger numbers and flight volumes, which makes delays less likely compared to high-traffic airports where faster turnaround times and busier schedules make them more susceptible.
Unsurprisingly, all the worst-performing airports were larger, busier airports.
Paris airport ranks lowest
Beauvais-Tillé Airport, just 80 km from Paris, ranked as the worst airport for delays, with passengers experiencing around 75 minutes of delay per 100 flights.
It was followed in second place by Bergerac-Roumanière (72 minutes), and in third by Paris-Charles de Gaulle (60 minutes).
Nice came next with 41 minutes of delay per 100 flights.
This figure does not mean that each flight at Nice is delayed by 41 minutes. Instead, it represents the total number of delay minutes recorded at an airport, distributed across 100 departures, allowing for comparison between airports of very different sizes and traffic levels.
The study method ensures a fair comparison between busy hubs and smaller regional airports.
Some factors that may have influenced the results include high traffic levels and operational constraints, especially at larger airports and those heavily served by low-cost carriers operating tight schedules. In such environments, even small disruptions can contribute to knock-on effects throughout the day.
Beauvais Airport handled around 6.67 million passengers and 39,600 flights in 2025, making it one of the busiest regional airports in France. It is primarily served by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair operating high-frequency schedules.
Second survey offers bigger picture
A separate global ranking by AirHelp, which evaluates airports based on punctuality (60%), customer opinion (20%), and food and shopping facilities (20%), offers a broader view of airport performance.
In this study, Toulouse-Blagnac Airport and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry emerge as the best-performing French airports overall, ranking highest nationally thanks to strong punctuality combined with good passenger satisfaction and services.
However, the findings also reinforce the wider picture that France still ranks relatively low internationally for on-time performance, with major airports such as Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Nice appearing significantly lower in the ranking.
