Passenger numbers at UK airports hit record high of 302 million last year
Passenger numbers have tripled since 1989, sparked by the boom in budget airlines.
A record 302 million passengers travelled through UK airports last year, new figures show, which is a 2.4% increase from 295 million passengers in 2024.
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The destinations with the largest passenger numbers on flights from UK airports last year were Dublin, Alicante, Dubai, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca.
Passenger numbers have tripled since 1989, sparked by the boom in budget airlines.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which released the figures, said growth “looks set to continue” as a recent survey indicated 31% of people plan to fly more this year.
Flight punctuality improved in 2025, with 73% of departures operating on time. That was up six percentage points from 2024, but remained below pre-pandemic levels.
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CAA group director for consumers and markets Selina Chadha said: “It has never been more popular to fly, and 2025 was officially a record-breaking year.
“While the sector grows from strength to strength, we continue working with aviation partners to drive even higher safety standards and protect passengers when they fly.”
Aviation minister Keir Mather said: “A record year for passenger numbers underlines the importance of boosting airport capacity as we progress our work to prepare for a third runway at Heathrow, and drive forward approved expansion plans at Gatwick and Luton.
“Expansion will unlock more choice for passengers, could create thousands of highly skilled jobs, and strengthen our global connectivity, while backing UK aviation’s continued growth.”
Earlier this month, Heathrow warned it risks losing its position as Europe’s busiest airport this year because of a lack of capacity.
Some 84.5 million passengers passed through the west London airport’s four terminals last year, a 0.7% increase from 83.9 million in 2024.
Heathrow’s growth lags behind that of its European rivals because its two runways are full.
Europe’s second busiest airport last year, Istanbul, had 84.4 million passengers (up 5.5%).
Paris Charles de Gaulle was ranked third with 72.0 million passengers (up 2.5%), followed by Amsterdam Schiphol with 68.8 million passengers (up 2.9%).
Heathrow chief executive said this demonstrates why the project to build a third runway is “critical”.
This summer, the Department for Transport is expected to publish the draft Airports National Policy Statement, which will provide the framework for making decisions on airport growth.