List of busiest airports in the United Kingdom

This is a list of the busiest airports in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, and Isle of Man ranked by total passenger traffic, compiled from Civil Aviation Authority data from 2006 to 2019. For some years the figures also show total aircraft movements and cargo volume handled at each airport. For a complete list of UK airports, see List of airports in the United Kingdom and the British Crown Dependencies.

Queue of aircraft for take-off at Heathrow Airport which handled 80 million passengers in 2018.
Gatwick Airport, the second busiest airport after Heathrow.
Manchester Airport, the third busiest airport in the UK and busiest of the non-London airports.

The United Kingdom, an island country, is home to many of Europe's largest and busiest airports. London-Heathrow, which handles over 80 million international passengers annually, is the largest airport in the UK. London serves as the largest aviation hub in the world by passenger traffic, with six international airports, handling over 180 million passengers in 2019,[1] more than any other city.[2] London's second-busiest airport, London-Gatwick, was until 2016 the world's busiest single-runway airport.[3] Manchester Airport is the United Kingdom's third-busiest airport. London-Stansted and London-Luton are the fourth- and fifth-busiest airports, respectively.

The largest airport operator in the United Kingdom is Heathrow Airport Holdings (owner of Heathrow), followed by Manchester Airports Group (owner of Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands). Together with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways, they are part of the Aviation Foundation which lobby for the aviation needs of the United Kingdom.[4]

20 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic

2010 Data
RankAirportTotal
Passengers		% Change
2009/2010		International
Passengers		Domestic
Passengers		Transit
Passengers		Aircraft
Movements		Freight
(Metric Tonnes)
1London-Heathrow65,881,6600.3%60,904,4184,840,832136,410454,8231,472,988
2London-Gatwick31,375,2903.1%27,845,8853,496,37833,027240,500104,032
3London-Stansted18,573,8036.9%16,838,6831,723,33711,783155,140202,238
4Manchester17,759,0155.2%15,424,9482,237,59396,474159,114115,922
5London-Luton8,738,7174.2%7,796,057937,7854,87594,57528,743
6Edinburgh8,596,7155.0%4,162,9324,431,5172,266108,99720,357
7Birmingham8,572,3985.8%7,433,2781,130,2278,89395,45421,605
8Glasgow6,548,8659.4%3,078,7253,443,04027,10077,7552,914
9Bristol5,747,6041.9%4,644,0341,079,14824,42269,1340
10Liverpool5,013,9402.7%4,203,065804,8795,99668,164265
11Newcastle4,356,1305.1%3,096,2211,249,73110,17866,6773,650
12East Midlands4,113,50111.7%3,532,444578,0852,97269,452273,630
13Belfast-International4,016,17011.7%1,621,2682,389,7045,19860,74229,716
14London-City2,780,5820.6%2,224,394556,188068,6400
15Aberdeen2,763,7087.4%1,159,9421,603,549217102,3964,211
16Leeds Bradford2,755,1107.0%2,323,110400,72331,27752,284235
17Belfast-City2,740,3414.5%62,8502,677,4553640,324155
18Southampton1,733,6903.1%668,8501,064,70313745,350116
19Glasgow-Prestwick1,662,7448.5%1,314,420345,5262,79833,08712,163
20Jersey1,463,2211.9%72,5021,356,29634,42361,7393,027

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics[10]

2009 Data
RankAirportTotal
Passengers		% Change
2008/2009		International
Passengers		Domestic
Passengers		Transit
Passengers		Aircraft
Movements		Freight
(Metric Tonnes)
1London-Heathrow66,036,9571.5%60,652,0365,254,605130,316466,3931,277,650
2London-Gatwick32,392,5205.3%28,698,6603,662,11331,747251,87974,680
3London-Stansted19,957,07710.7%18,054,7481,894,9417,388167,817182,810
4Manchester18,724,88911.8%16,063,8912,566,50394,495172,515102,543
5London-Luton9,120,54610.4%7,937,3191,178,0085,21998,73628,643
6Birmingham9,102,8995.4%7,773,6431,319,5589,698101,22113,070
7Edinburgh9,049,3550.5%4,136,6774,906,7755,903115,96923,791
8Glasgow7,225,02111.7%3,423,1743,790,22311,62485,2812,334
9Bristol5,642,92110.0%4,506,8081,108,39227,72170,2450
10Liverpool4,884,4948.4%4,078,795800,6735,02679,298264
11East Midlands4,658,15117.1%4,019,364633,3275,46083,256255,121
12Newcastle4,587,8839.0%3,158,4771,410,14219,26469,2542,597
13Belfast-International4,546,47513.6%1,667,7382,868,7609,97768,81329,804
14Aberdeen2,984,4459.3%1,286,8431,696,950652109,8763,822
15London-City2,796,89014.2%2,204,731592,159076,8610
16Belfast-City2,621,7632.0%55,2512,566,4823039,330138
17Leeds Bradford2,574,42610.4%2,098,479454,11821,82953,817359
18Glasgow-Prestwick1,817,72724.8%1,358,000459,28644134,23013,385
19Southampton1,789,9018.0%682,4271,107,01645845,502209
20Cardiff1,631,23618.2%1,249,530375,2006,50627,003178

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics[10]

2008 Data
RankAirportTotal
Passengers		% Change
2007/2008		International
Passengers		Domestic
Passengers		Transit
Passengers		Aircraft
Movements		Freight
(Metric Tonnes)
1London-Heathrow67,054,7451.5%61,344,4385,562,516147,791478,6931,397,054
2London-Gatwick34,205,8872.9%30,431,0513,730,96343,873263,653107,702
3London-Stansted22,360,3646.0%19,996,9472,343,42819,989193,282197,738
4Manchester21,219,1954.0%18,119,2302,943,719156,246204,610141,781
5London-Luton10,180,7342.6%8,853,2241,320,6786,832117,85940,518
6Birmingham Airport9,627,5894.3%8,105,1621,471,53850,889112,22712,192
7Edinburgh9,006,7020.5%3,711,1405,281,03814,524125,55012,418
8Glasgow8,178,8917.0%3,943,1394,192,12143,631100,0873,546
9Bristol6,267,1145.7%5,057,0511,171,60538,45876,5173
10East Midlands5,620,6733.8%4,870,184746,0944,39593,038261,507
11Liverpool5,334,1522.5%4,514,926814,9004,32684,8903,740
12Belfast-International5,262,3540.2%2,122,8443,099,99539,51577,94336,115
13Newcastle5,039,99310.8%3,506,6811,509,95923,35372,9041,938
14Aberdeen3,290,9203.6%1,470,0991,820,137684119,8314,006
15London-City3,260,23612.0%2,600,731659,4941194,5160
16Leeds Bradford2,873,3210.3%2,282,358578,08912,87461,699334
17Belfast-City2,570,74217.5%70,5162,500,225142,990168
18Glasgow-Prestwick2,415,7550.3%1,728,020685,9991,73642,70822,966
19Cardiff1,994,8925.5%1,565,991412,72816,17337,1231,334
20Southampton1,945,9931.0%768,4871,177,28022650,689264

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics[10]

2007 Data
RankAirportTotal
Passengers		% Change
2006/2007		International
Passengers		Domestic
Passengers		Transit
Passengers		Aircraft
Movements		Freight
(Metric Tonnes)
1London-Heathrow68,066,0280.8%62,098,9115,753,476213,641481,4761,310,987
2London-Gatwick35,216,1133.1%31,142,0024,023,40250,709266,550171,078
3London-Stansted23,779,6970.4%21,204,9462,554,30420,447208,462203,747
4Manchester22,112,6251.5%18,662,4683,229,255220,902222,703165,366
5London-Luton9,927,3215.3%8,427,8941,491,4677,960120,23838,095
6Birmingham Airport9,226,3400.9%7,592,2401,541,81592,285114,67913,585
7Edinburgh9,047,5585.1%3,417,8915,619,30910,358128,17219,292
8Glasgow8,795,7270.6%4,131,5124,594,57569,640108,3054,276
9Bristol5,926,7742.9%4,608,2901,275,56642,91876,42820
10Newcastle5,650,7164.0%3,948,5941,675,01327,10979,200785
11Liverpool5,468,51010.2%4,636,149827,0855,27686,6683,709
12East Midlands5,413,36014.5%4,709,855696,6496,85693,989274,753
13Belfast-International5,272,6644.6%1,788,8073,447,24836,60977,39538,429
14Aberdeen3,412,2577.8%1,475,9881,935,1521,117121,9273,434
15London-City2,912,12323.5%2,214,884697,239091,1770
16Leeds Bradford2,881,5393.2%2,229,283630,57521,68165,249109
17Glasgow-Prestwick2,422,3321.0%1,827,592593,1171,62347,91031,517
18Belfast-City2,186,9933.9%93,5472,093,32012643,0221,057
19Cardiff2,111,1484.3%1,665,247428,26017,64143,9632,391
20Southampton1,965,6862.8%767,4161,198,00626454,183297

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics[10]

2006 Data
RankAirportTotal
Passengers		% Change
2005/2006		International
Passengers		Domestic
Passengers		Transit
Passengers		Aircraft
Movements		Freight
(Metric Tonnes)
1London-Heathrow67,527,9250.6%61,345,8415,993,386188,696477,0481,263,128
2London-Gatwick34,163,5794.2%30,018,7834,061,56283,234263,363211,857
3London-Stansted23,687,0137.7%21,002,2602,678,0926,661206,693224,312
4Manchester22,442,8550.2%18,601,6043,522,158319,093229,729148,957
5London-Luton9,425,9083.0%7,875,0841,539,74511,079116,13117,993
6Birmingham Airport9,147,3842.5%7,532,7921,523,21291,380119,49014,681
7Glasgow8,848,7550.6%4,245,3384,575,12428,293110,0346,289
8Edinburgh8,611,3451.8%2,743,2205,863,4314,694126,91436,389
9Bristol5,757,9639.6%4,297,6961,412,52647,74184,58332
10Newcastle5,431,9764.4%3,624,2281,783,13424,61481,655306
11Belfast-International5,038,6924.4%1,533,0653,482,19923,42877,65238,417
12Liverpool4,963,77612.5%4,078,245884,2151,31691,2635,724
13East Midlands4,727,99613.0%4,048,071672,7487,17788,592272,303
14Aberdeen3,164,04210.9%1,325,9891,836,6351,418116,9714,022
15Leeds Bradford2,792,6867.0%2,154,982632,2355,46966,921101
16Glasgow-Prestwick2,397,4120.4%1,824,523570,4052,48448,18928,537
17London-City2,358,18418.1%1,738,346619,8132579,4360
18Belfast-City2,105,7695.9%51,9482,053,64917239,411827
19Cardiff2,024,42813.8%1,628,245364,85231,33142,0552,212
20Southampton1,912,9794.2%619,2191,293,48327755,786195

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics[11]

Future airport expansion
  • Heathrow Airport – Terminal 5 opened on 27 March 2008, increasing the total passenger numbers potentially to over 90 million, possibly making Heathrow the world's busiest airport. Plans for a third runway could increase aircraft movement dramatically and see over 115 million passengers using Heathrow annually; however, the decision could be made to give Gatwick a second runway. See also Future expansion and Expansion of London Heathrow Airport.
  • Gatwick Airport – Battling with Heathrow for Government decision on an extra runway. A second runway at Gatwick could see it match or even overtake Heathrow's traffic and income. Supporters say multiple large London airports are better than one massive one.
  • Manchester Airport – Expansion of services and facilities at Manchester Airport estimates a usage by 50 million passengers in 2030, which is more than twice as many as the airport handles now.
  • London Stansted Airport – Plans for a second runway to increase capacity were shelved in 2010. Sold by BAA to Manchester Airports group in 2013,[12] following a Competition Commission ruling. See Stansted proposed expansion for more.
  • Luton Airport – Luton's usage has increased by around 900% between 1991 and 2006; however, plans for another runway and new terminal were scrapped due to financial reasons, although plans for a new rail link between London St. Pancras and Luton Airport Parkway have been approved. See Development plans and the future
  • Birmingham Airport – Birmingham Airport recently extended its runway to accommodate long haul flights to the Far East, South America and West Coast. The airport has drawn up plans for a second runway linked to High Speed 2. In July 2019 plans were confirmed by the airport for a £500 million pound expansion. This will enable the airport to accommodate for up to 20 million passengers. The new development will create over 3500 new jobs and is set to be complete in 2033.
  • Leeds Bradford Airport – In November 2008, Bridgepoint Capital announced a £28 million expansion of the current terminal building at Leeds Bradford International Airport, enabling the airport to handle in excess of 6 million passengers a year. The airport also intends to increase parking, the number of aircraft stands, and build a railway link towards Horsforth, enabling a link with Leeds railway station.
  • Bournemouth Airport – A£45 million redevelopment by Manchester Airports group was announced in 2006 and began in 2008. The terminal building is to double in size, to replace the arrivals terminal, increase the number of stands/gates from 4 to 13 and to add more car parking spaces. Improvements to the local infrastructure, as well as the possibility of the construction of a new hotel are also included in the redevelopment phases.[13]
  • London Southend Airport – Since its purchase by the Stobart Group in 2008, London Southend Airport has embarked on a massive programme of development including a 300-metre (980 ft) runway extension, new terminal, railway station and hotel. EasyJet commenced services from the airport in April 2012 with the anticipation that 700,000 passengers would be carried by easyJet alone that year.
  • Bristol Airport – The expansion is to occur in stages, spread over 30 construction projects in order to increase passenger numbers to 10 million a year. Plans include a doubling of passenger terminal floorspace, new piers and aircraft parking stands, extensions to the apron, two multi-storey car parks and a public transport interchange. In October 2013, construction started on a £6.5 million walkway connected to the centre of the terminal, to provide four more pre-boarding zones. The 3,880-square-metre (41,800 sq ft) walkway opened in July 2014. It allows the use of jetways, including for wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In August 2014, the airport announced that construction of an £8.6 million eastward extension of the terminal would start in September, and construction was completed in summer 2015. This expansion was immediately followed by the starting of an 8,500-square-metre (91,000 sq ft) western terminal extension that will expand the security, baggage handling and immigration facilities. A 201-room Hampton by Hilton hotel is under construction and is due to be complete by winter 2016. The airport has also invested in wider infrastructure such as the South Bristol Link road, which will speed up journey times to the airport.
  • Other – Numerous UK airports are expanding to accommodate the new Airbus A380.

See also

Notes
  1. Rank is by Total Passengers
  2. Total Passengers includes Domestic, International and Transit Passengers
  3. Aircraft Movements includes all Commercial and Non-Commercial takeoffs and landings
  4. Rank is by Total Passengers
  5. Total Passengers includes Domestic, International and Transit Passengers
  6. Aircraft Movements includes all Commercial and Non-Commercial takeoffs and landings
  7. Rank is by Total Passengers
  8. Total Passengers includes Domestic, International and Transit Passengers
  9. Aircraft Movements includes all Commercial and Non-Commercial takeoffs and landings
  10. Rank is by Total Passengers
  11. Total Passengers includes Domestic, International and Transit Passengers
  12. Aircraft Movements includes all Commercial and Non-Commercial takeoffs and landings

References
  1. "CAA Airport Data 2019". caa.co.uk. UK Civil Aviation Authority. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. Beijing to overtake London as world’s largest aviation hub. Massive new airport planned | CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Retrieved on 16 August 2013.
  3. "Now, Mumbai world's busiest airport with only one runway - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  4. "Aviation Foundation". Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  5. "CAA Airport Data 2018". caa.co.uk. UK Civil Aviation Authority. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  6. "CAA Airport Data 2016". caa.co.uk. UK Civil Aviation Authority. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  7. "CAA Airport Data 2016" (PDF). caa.co.uk. UK Civil Aviation Authority. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  8. "CAA Airport Data 2015" (PDF). caa.co.uk. UK Civil Aviation Authority. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  9. "CAA Airport Data 1990-2014". caa.co.uk. UK Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  10. UK Airport Statistics: 2007 - annual, Table 3.1 Aircraft Movements, Table 9 Total Passengers & Transit Passengers, Table 10.1 International Passengers, Table 10.2 Domestic Passengers and Table 13.2 Freight.
  11. UK Airport Statistics: 2006 - annual, Table 3.1 Aircraft Movements, Table 9 Total Passengers & Transit Passengers, Table 10.1 International Passengers, Table 10.2 Domestic Passengers and Table 13.2 Freight.
  12. "Stansted Airport sold for £1.5bn". BBC News. 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  13. "£45 million redevelopment programme". Bournemouth Airport. 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
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