Ryanair Cancellation Rate & On-Time Performance 2026
Ryanair’s cancellation rate is 0.35% across our sample of 3,109 flights tracked with real outcomes, with an average departure delay of 7.9 minutes and 17.8% of flights leaving more than 15 minutes late. The short version: Ryanair cancels less than the overall average and less than several legacy carriers — the opposite of its reputation. This article puts the real numbers first and skips the myths.
The data comes from the actual outcomes of flights logged by FlightGuard (the flight_history_raw dataset, current to 26 June 2026). These are not estimates or surveys — they are what actually happened to each monitored flight.
Ryanair’s numbers at a glance
| Metric | Ryanair (FR) | Overall average |
|---|---|---|
| Flights in sample | 3,109 | 10,970 |
| Cancellation rate | 0.35% | 0.57% |
| Average departure delay | 7.9 min | 8.2 min |
| Flights delayed > 15 min | 17.8% | 16.6% |
In plain terms: of 3,109 Ryanair flights, roughly 11 were cancelled. That cancellation rate works out to about 1 flight in 285. The average delay is almost identical to the average across every carrier we monitor, while the share of badly delayed flights sits just above the overall average (17.8% versus 16.6%).
One honest caveat on punctuality: our delay minutes refer to departure, and the airport-level air traffic control (ATC) figures we use are daily aggregates, not per-flight values. There is no “guaranteed delay” for your specific flight.
Ryanair vs other airlines: the surprise
The counter-intuitive finding is that Ryanair — labelled for years as the airline that “always cancels” — actually cancels less than several flag carriers in our sample.
| Airline | IATA | Flights (n) | Cancellations | Avg delay | Delayed > 15 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | FR | 3,109 | 0.35% | 7.9 min | 17.8% |
| British Airways | BA | 1,820 | 0.27% | 5.0 min | 12.6% |
| Lufthansa | LH | 1,593 | 0.94% | 8.2 min | 16.6% |
| Air France | AF | 1,240 | 0.32% | 10.8 min | 17.9% |
| KLM | KL | 911 | 0.77% | 9.0 min | 17.7% |
| easyJet | U2 | 440 | 0.45% | 10.8 min | 18.9% |
| Vueling | VY | 267 | 0.00% | 8.5 min | 10.9% |
| ITA Airways | AZ | 263 | 0.00% | 11.9 min | 29.3% |
What stands out:
- Ryanair cancels less than Lufthansa (0.94%) and KLM (0.77%). In this sample a low-cost carrier beats two large legacy airlines on cancellation rate.
- British Airways is the steadiest of the majors, with 0.27% cancellations and just 5.0 minutes of average delay, though on a smaller sample (1,820 flights).
- Ryanair runs a touch later than BA at departure, but stays below the overall average.
- Vueling (VY) recorded no cancellations in the sample and the lowest share of delays among the low-cost carriers — but with only 267 flights that figure needs caution.
An honest methodology note: for airlines with small samples (Vueling and ITA Airways at around 260 flights each) 0.00% cancellations does not mean “never cancels” — it only means no cancellations were recorded in that specific sample. More flights, more reliable the estimate. Ryanair’s 3,109 flights make its 0.35% particularly robust.
Ryanair vs easyJet: who cancels more?
This is the comparison everyone searches for. In our sample:
| Ryanair (FR) | easyJet (U2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Flights (n) | 3,109 | 440 |
| Cancellations | 0.35% | 0.45% |
| Average delay | 7.9 min | 10.8 min |
| Delayed > 15 min | 17.8% | 18.9% |
On all three metrics, in this sample, Ryanair outperforms easyJet: it cancels less, departs less late on average, and has a lower share of badly delayed flights. The easyJet sample is much smaller (440 flights), so read the margin with care. For the reasons behind the cancellations that do happen, see why Ryanair cancels flights.
Why does Ryanair cancel so few flights?
The operating model helps. Ryanair flies a single fleet type (the Boeing 737), turns aircraft around fast, and runs a point-to-point network that avoids the cascading knock-on effects of a hub. When a legacy flight feeds a connection, one cancellation can ripple across the schedule; on point-to-point routes the impact stays contained.
It remains true that mass cancellations happen and grab headlines — usually tied to staff strikes or airspace closures. The key point is that the big media episodes do not reflect the everyday average, which stays low.
A sample average is not your flight
That 0.35% is an average across thousands of flights. Your specific flight depends on factors that change day to day: ATC congestion at the airport, weather, the route’s history, the carrier’s on-time record, strikes, and active NOTAMs.
FlightGuard does not “predict” whether your flight will be cancelled — no serious tool can do that reliably for a single flight. What we do is flag higher-risk conditions by combining these real factors into a risk indicator. It is risk awareness, not a crystal ball.
For example, Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is among the most ATC-constrained hubs in Europe right now, alongside Lisbon, Athens and Zurich. Departing from a congested airport can raise delay risk regardless of which airline you fly. You can see the live picture for a hub like Rome Fiumicino.
To check your own case:
- Check your flight cancellation risk by entering the flight number and date.
- See the reliability profile for Ryanair, with route-level data.
- Run the flight delay predictor for a specific departure.
What if your Ryanair flight is cancelled?
If a cancellation is notified with fewer than 14 days’ notice, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 entitles you to compensation, unless extraordinary circumstances apply (extreme weather, airspace closure, an ATC strike). A strike by the airline’s own staff is generally not considered extraordinary.
Compensation depends on flight distance:
| Distance | Compensation |
|---|---|
| ≤ 1,500 km | €250 |
| Intra-EU flights > 1,500 km, and other flights 1,500–3,500 km | €400 |
| > 3,500 km (between an EU and non-EU airport) | €600 |
The regulation covers all departures from an EU airport (any airline) and arrivals into the EU on an EU carrier. Most Ryanair routes sit at or around 1,500 km, so they typically fall in the €250 band — for instance, a Rome–London flight (~1,430 km) is a €250 claim. Claim deadlines vary by country: 6 years in the UK, 2 years in Italy, 5 years in Spain. For the full breakdown, see passenger rights under EU261 and the official EUR-Lex text of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.
Methodology
All cancellation rates and delays cited here come from FlightGuard’s flight_history_raw dataset, which records the real outcome of 10,970 monitored flights (current to 26 June 2026), of which 3,109 are Ryanair flights. Cancellation percentages and delay minutes are observed values, not estimates. Smaller samples (under ~300 flights) are flagged explicitly because they are less robust. The airport ATC ranking is an ordering based on EUROCONTROL aggregates and does not represent per-flight delays.
Data current to 25 June 2026. The FlightGuard risk indicator combines real factors (ATC, weather, route history, carrier on-time performance, strikes, NOTAMs) and flags higher-risk conditions; it is not a reliable per-flight predictor.
Check your next Ryanair flight: analyse your flight cancellation risk.
