The UK airports where flights are most likely to be delayed by over an hour - with one in 13 flights held up at the worst-hit airport in the country

You've checked in, cleared security and started browsing the duty-free shops when the dreaded announcement comes: your flight has been delayed.

But where you fly from could make all the difference, with new research revealing the UK airports where passengers are most likely to face lengthy waits.

Air passenger rights experts at AirAdvisor analysed 20 of the UK's busiest airports, examining the percentage of scheduled departures delayed by more than 60 minutes over the past 12 months.

And topping the list is Manchester Airport, where 7.73 per cent of scheduled departures took off more than an hour late – equivalent to around one in every 13 flights.

But Manchester Airport has challenged the findings, branding the analysis 'misleading' and insisting that many delays are caused by factors beyond its control. 

Manchester, which sees around 75,000 passengers pass through its terminals each day, was followed by Birmingham Airport, where 7.16 per cent of departures were delayed by more than an hour. Bournemouth Airport ranked third, at 6.99 per cent.

Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, explained that flight punctuality is 'not necessarily an indication of an airport's overall reliability'.

He added: 'This is because factors sometimes completely outside of an airport's control, like weather, particularly high winds and fog can lead to disruption. 

'The saving grace for travellers departing or arriving at a UK or EU airport, or with a British or EU-member state-based airline, is that both sets of governments have sophisticated legislation in place to protect air passengers affected by disruption.'

If a passenger lands at their destination over three hours late, they may be entitled to up to £520 in compensation under the UK government's UK261 regulation.

'The EU's 261 regulation mirrors this law, with a similar amount of compensation potentially up for grabs, if your claim is successful,' Mr Radchenko said.

'Passengers affected by delays of over two hours have the right to claim food and drink vouchers from their airline while waiting at the airport. And if you are delayed overnight, you can seek a hotel stay and transport to and from your accommodation, paid for by your carrier.'

Southampton Airport ranked fourth with 6.94 per cent of its flights delayed by over an hour.

London Stansted followed with 6.73 per cent, Edinburgh saw 6.51 per cent of its departures delayed and Belfast International 6.01 per cent. 

Leeds Bradford ranked eighth with 5.98 per cent, while Bristol followed in ninth with 5.65 per cent. 

London Luton rounded off the worst ten with 5.59 per cent of its departures delayed by over 60 minutes in the last 12 months.

Cardiff Airport came out as the best in the research, with only 3.6 per cent of departures delayed in the last 12 months. 

A Manchester Airport spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'This analysis of the Civil Aviation Authority's data is misleading as it ignores important context - context which is directly referenced by the CAA in the notes accompanying the research and in the research itself. 

'Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport's control. The two most significant factors contributing to delays in the last year have been industrial action affecting air traffic control in Europe, and the weather. 

'These were exacerbated by airspace restrictions above conflict zones meaning airports with significant long-haul networks, like Manchester, were more significantly affected than others.

'As an industry we are working collectively to achieve the best possible on-time departure rates, while protecting flight schedules and avoiding the need for cancellations.'

Meanwhile, a Birmingham Airport spokesman said: 'Flight delays can happen for several reasons including industrial action and bad weather, some of which are out of an airport's control.' 

A spokesman for Bournemouth Airport said: 'There can be many reasons for delays and in the majority of cases these are outside the control of the airport.

'Bournemouth Airport is one of the UK's top-ranked regional airports for passenger satisfaction. Passengers using Bournemouth do so because of the excellent choice of operators and destinations, the convenience of using their local airport and the friendly welcome they are assured here.'

Manchester T3 was recently named the worst airport in the country by Which? after considering factors such as 'Late cancellations', 'Check-in queues', 'Passport control queues' and 'Food and drink outlets'.

The hub received a 52 per cent customer score and bagged a paltry two stars in all categories surveyed, including 'Cleanliness' and 'Seating'.

One customer declared the airport, which primarily operates Ryanair flights, 'quite appalling for a supposedly modern airport', reporting two-hour check-in queues due to broken machines, 20-minute queues for cafes and toilets, and also complaining that there is 'nowhere to sit'.

Another reflected that the experience at T3 was defined by a 'poor layout' and a 'lack of passenger consideration'.

The airport has been criticised particularly for its 'excessive' walking distances, as security and lounges are currently located in the former Terminal 1 area, which officially closed last November.

In a statement to Which? following the results of the survey, Manchester Airport told the consumer champion there is a 'project ongoing to remove and replace the old travelators' as part of a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme.