Britain's flagship airport Heathrow was the worst performing airport out of 27 surveyed, new figures have shown.

According to the latest report from the Association of European Airlines, almost half the flights to and from Heathrow are delayed, making it the worst performing airport in Europe.

The report suggests that Heathrow was the worst airport for delays with 44.1 per cent of outbound continental flights at least 15 minutes late, and 45.1 inbound flight held-up.

Heathrow's performance data show the average delay for departures has now increased from 35 minutes from the end of last year to 39.5 minutes for the first quarter of 2008, the Mail online said.

In contrast, passengers flying from Munich airport were least affected by delays, with only 17.6 per cent of departures held-up, it said.

In May, British Airways boss Willie Walsh admitted that the airport has been 'a national embarrassment for years, the report said.

The Association of European Airlines' report comes just months after Heathrow's reputation was severely hit following the chaotic opening of the much-heralded 4.3 billion pound Terminal 5.

Hundreds of flights were called-off, thousands of bags could not be located and thousands of passengers faced delays.