Every London airport ranked from worst to best

One of the biggest perks of living in London is the transport. Whether you’re travelling within the city on the tube or bus, or leaving it altogether, you’ve got loads of options – and that includes when you’re travelling by air. There are six major airports in London (or at least near enough to claim the capital in their names).

A recent study by the Telegraph rated all 30 of the biggest airports in the country, including all of London’s. The Telegraph ranked airports by looking at a whole host of different factors, from cancellation rates to average security times, averaging out an individual score for each entrant. The capital’s hubs differed massively in their placement in the list, with the best coming in at third and the worst ending up second-bottom. 

But first, where should you avoid? Well, Stansted came 29th out of 30, and therefore last out of the London bunch. Only 63.6 percent of flights take off or land on time at the Essex terminal, and it’s a whopping 40 miles away from the city centre.

Next was another, also-very-far-away airport, as Southend came 25th overall. Southend has fewer destinations on offer than Stansted, but came out on top in other categories including punctuality, as 66.7 percent of its flights were on time in 2024.

In the middle of the list for both London and the entire UK was Luton. Although London Luton gets a hard time, it’s pretty easy to get to from the centre of London, and it offers a good range of destinations, generally with low-budget carriers. Sure, it’s not a luxury experience, but it gets the job done, and does it on schedule nearly 70 percent of the time.

It’s quite a big step up to Gatwick, which came sixth overall for the Telegraph, or third in London. LGW is the second most connected airport in the country, but that huge offering comes at a cost – only 59.8 percent of journeys are on time. 

You might be surprised to know that in second place – fourth in the UK – was Heathrow. Its size is, naturally, Heathrow’s greatest asset, but also its greatest weakness. LHR offers more destinations than anywhere else in Britain, but suffers from a slightly lower on-time percentage than the terminal that clinched the top spot.

Of course, that means that London’s best airport is officially… London City! Its small size gives City an edge over its competitors, with passengers generally getting through security efficiently and onto planes that depart on time. The Docklands hub is also very conveniently placed, just a few miles from the city centre. It came third in the Telegraph’s national ranking.

London airports ranked from best to worst, according to the Telegraph

Here’s all of London’s airports ranked by the newspaper, including their national ranking.

1. London City – 3rd
2. London Heathrow – 4th
3. London Gatwick – 6th
4. London Luton – 18th
5. London Southend – 25th
6. London Stansted – 29th

You can read the Telegraph’s full ranking here.

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