There was a slight improvement in airline punctuality during the last three months of 2007, according to new figures.

Statistics released by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have shown that the overall on-time performance of scheduled carriers at ten airports increased by one per cent during the quarter.

The average delay recorded by the organisation was 17 minutes, down from 18 minutes in the final three months of 2006.

Charter airlines also saw their on-time ratings increase by one per cent at the airports examined by the CAA.

However, scheduled routes to Lisbon, Dubai, Istanbul, Rome and Los Angeles had an on-time performance of under 55 per cent, while average delays exceeding 25 minutes were found on those to Lisbon, Malta, New York and Los Angeles.

Last month, the CAA published statistics showing that 241 million passengers used a UK airport last year.

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