The clocks go back one hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, when British Summer Time (BST) ends and the UK returns to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). For most travellers, the clock change itself won’t affect their flight. Flight times are always shown in the local time at each airport, so your departure time stays the same on the clock at the airport.
That said, the same weekend brings a few changes worth checking. Airlines switch to their winter timetables, time differences with some destinations shift, and anything you booked for a time in the early hours of Sunday needs a closer look. This guide covers each of these, plus how to make sure your airport transfer turns up at the right time.
The clock change at a glance
| What changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Sunday 25 October 2026, at 2am BST |
| What happens | Clocks go back to 1am GMT, so you gain an hour |
| UK time zone | From BST (UTC+1) to GMT (UTC+0) |
| Flight times on tickets | Always local time at each airport |
| Airline schedules | Winter timetables usually start the same weekend |
| Next change | Clocks go forward on Sunday 28 March 2027 |
Do clocks going back affect flights?
Not directly. Airlines and airports plan flights in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), but your booking and boarding pass show local times. If your ticket says your flight leaves Birmingham at 7.15am on Sunday 25 October, it leaves at 7.15am by the clocks in the terminal, which by then will be on GMT.
The same applies when you land. Your arrival time is shown in the local time at your destination, whatever time it is at home.
The one hour that happens twice
On the night of the change, the hour between 1am and 2am happens twice: once in BST, then again in GMT. UK airports have night-flight restrictions, so few passenger flights are scheduled in that window.
If your booking does show a time between 1am and 2am on 25 October, check with your airline which hour it means. That applies to departures, arrivals and any transfer booked for that time.
Airlines switch to winter timetables the same weekend
Airline timetables run in two seasons. The winter season starts on the last Sunday of October, so it lines up with the clocks going back. As a result, times on regular routes can shift slightly from that weekend, and some summer-only routes stop.
New winter routes often start that week too. From Birmingham, for example, EgyptAir’s new Cairo service and easyJet’s new Agadir route both start on Tuesday 27 October 2026. If you booked months ago, check your confirmation email and the airline’s app for any schedule change before you travel.
How the clock change affects time differences abroad
The UK isn’t the only country that changes its clocks, and countries don’t all change on the same date. That means the time difference with your destination may be different from what you’re used to.
| Destination | Do they change the clocks? | What happens to the time difference |
|---|---|---|
| Most of Europe | Yes, the same night | Stays the same; Spain, France and Italy stay one hour ahead |
| United States and Canada | Yes, on 1 November 2026 | Gap is one hour smaller from 25 October to 31 October |
| UAE (Dubai) and Qatar (Doha) | No | Gap grows by an hour; Dubai becomes four hours ahead |
| Most other non-European destinations | Varies | Check your destination’s local time |
The week-long gap with the US
Clocks in the United States go back a week later, on Sunday 1 November 2026. Between 25 and 31 October, New York is four hours behind the UK instead of five. If you’re flying to the US that week, or booking calls and meetings there, double-check the local time.
Gulf flights
Dubai and Doha don’t use daylight saving time. From 25 October, they’re one hour further ahead of the UK than during the summer. If you’re heading to the Gulf, our Dubai and Doha flight status guide covers the latest airline and Foreign Office information.
Check your devices and alarms
Smartphones, tablets and most laptops update automatically. However, some devices don’t:
- traditional alarm clocks
- car clocks
- older watches
- some smart home devices and ovens
If you’re relying on any of these for an early start on Sunday 25 October, set them back yourself the night before. Better still, use your phone alarm. A flight tracker app is also useful, as it shows your flight’s status in local time, wherever you are.
Taxi, transfer and parking bookings
Most bookings run on UK local time, but it’s easy to make mistakes when a booking falls close to the change. A few checks help:
- Confirm pickup times in the new time. If your pickup is early on Sunday 25 October, say clearly that it’s after the clocks go back.
- Check bookings made in a different time zone. If you booked from abroad, make sure the pickup time shows UK local time.
- Review parking entry and exit times. Pre-booked airport parking is based on local time, so check that your arrival and return times still match.
- Watch out for hours that happen twice. If anything is booked between 1am and 2am on 25 October, confirm which hour it means.
With National Executive Transfers, pickup times are confirmed in UK local time. If you’re booking a Birmingham Airport transfer for the weekend of the clock change, we’ll confirm the time with you so there’s no confusion.
For return flights, flight monitoring tracks your actual landing time, and your chauffeur adjusts the pickup if your flight lands early or late. With meet and greet at Birmingham Airport, your chauffeur waits for you in arrivals.
A busy weekend for travel from Birmingham
The clock change isn’t the only thing happening that weekend. Several factors overlap:
- Half-term: Birmingham’s October half-term runs from 26 to 30 October 2026, so many families fly out on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October.
- M42 closure: a weekend closure near Birmingham Airport is planned from 9pm on Friday 23 October to 5am on Monday 26 October, for HS2 work.
- New winter routes: airlines switch to their winter schedules, and new routes start that week.
Put together, the roads to the airport and the terminal itself are likely to be busier than usual. Our autumn half-term airport guide explains how to plan around the rush. Our guide to how early to arrive at Birmingham Airport gives realistic timings.
If you have an early flight on Sunday 25 October and want the pickup confirmed in the new time, you can book your airport transfer online.
Early flights after the clocks go back
After the change, mornings are lighter for a few weeks, but evenings get dark much sooner. An early-morning drive to the airport is often in daylight or near-daylight at first. Evening arrivals and late-night pickups, however, happen in full darkness.
Autumn also brings the first fog of the season. It can delay flights, particularly at the start of the day. Our guide to fog delays at UK airports explains what to expect. For pre-dawn departures, see our advice on planning an early-morning airport transfer.
If your flight time changes
If your airline changes your flight time because of its winter schedule, update your transfer booking as soon as you know. Our guide to what happens when your flight is delayed and your chauffeur is booked explains how pickups are adjusted.
Flying from London instead? We also run Birmingham to Heathrow chauffeur transfers, with the same flight monitoring and confirmed pickup times.
Book your airport transfer
National Executive Transfers provides fixed-price chauffeur transfers to and from Birmingham, Heathrow and other UK airports in Mercedes-Benz E-Class, S-Class and V-Class vehicles. Flight monitoring is included, and meet-and-greet is available on arrival. Tell us your flight details, and we’ll confirm your pickup time, including over the weekend of the clock change. Get a quote and book online.
Frequently Asked Questions
The clocks go back one hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, returning the UK from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time.
Not because of the clock change itself. Flight times are always in local time at each airport. However, airlines switch to winter schedules the same weekend, so check your booking for any changes.
Yes. Departure times are shown in the local time of the departure airport, and arrival times in the local time of the destination airport.
Yes, for one week. The US changes its clocks on 1 November 2026, so between 25 and 31 October, the UK is one hour closer to US time than usual.
Yes. The UAE doesn't change its clocks, so Dubai becomes four hours ahead of the UK instead of three.
Few UK flights are scheduled between 1am and 2am, the hour that happens twice. If your booking shows a time in that window on 25 October, check with your airline which hour it means.
Usually not, as bookings run on UK local time. For early-morning pickups on 25 October, confirm with your transfer company that the time is after the clocks go back.
