Photo: UK CAA
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) predicts that tens of millions of passengers will take to the skies in December.
The announcement follows airports and airlines nationwide reporting their busiest summer on record. Keir Mather, Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, said: “As another busy festive period kicks off, we’ve secured the sector’s future. Getting expansion off the ground at Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow, and redesigning our airways – to keep Britain connected, support jobs and power economic growth.”
The forecast for December follows passenger traffic that exceeded 90 million through UK airports in the three months from July to September 2025. Airports with the highest percentage growth in passengers for summer 2025 compared to the same period last year include Edinburgh (+9%), Liverpool (+10%) and Bournemouth (28%). Meanwhile, nearly 700,000 tonnes of cargo were shipped through UK airports between July and September, while Middle Eastern carriers saw some of the highest growth figures in the UK, including Etihad Airways, Qatar, SunExpress and Turkish Airlines.
During the first nine months of the year, passenger traffic surpassed 230 million passengers, with figures expected to exceed 300 million passenger by the end of the year.
In 2024, 295 million passenger flew through UK airports, with 22 million flying in December. The last 12 months have also seen delays at airports reducing, with 64% of flights operating on time – an increase of 7% on peak summer 2024 figures.
“We now have more people flying than ever before and are on track for the biggest Christmas getaway in history,” said Selina Chadha, Group Director for Consumers and Markets at the UK CAA.
“With high passenger numbers and the potential for bad weather that winter brings, make sure you check for disruption including on your route to the airport.
“The aviation industry will be working hard at this time of year. As the regulator we want to see passengers having the smoothest possible journeys.”
For passengers travelling during the festive season, the CAA is advising airports to remind passengers to check their journey before they travel and to allow plenty of time at the airport as winter storms, cold weather and huge numbers can cause disruption. They are also reminding passengers that items like lithium batteries, Christmas crackers and wrapped presents can cause queues at border security.
