Photo: UK CAA
This year is set to the busiest on record for the UK’s aviation sector according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Between April and June the CAA reported 81 million passengers passing through the country’s airports – the highest quarterly figure on record for passenger traffic.
Describing the numbers as a “Great achievement”, Selina Chada, Group Director for Consumers and Markets at the CAA underlined the growth in the UK’s aviation sector reflects both strong demand and sector-wide efforts to improve reliability.
“It’s encouraging that delays are falling year-on-year,” she said, as she emphasised that “reliable on-time flights remain a priority.”
According to the CAA, airline punctuality reached its strongest level in recent years with 75 per cent of flights departing on time. April in particular was a stand out month with 82 per cent of services operating to schedule.
Meanwhile, Aviation Minister Mike Kane said: “Our airport expansion plans will make sure the industry continues to benefit from and keep up with growing demand.
“More passengers travelling through UK airports means increased economic growth and more jobs for people up and down the country.”
Overall in the first half of 2025 between 1 January and 30 June the UK’s primary hub London Heathrow unsurprisingly led the way with an impressive 39.9 million passengers. However regional airports and particularly those in the north also saw impressive gains, underlining the propensity for travel from local hubs.
Collectively Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds Bradford welcomed three-quarters of a million additional passengers compared with the same period in 2024.
AirportsUK chief executive, Karen Dee, said the CAA’s data shows that UK airports are busier than ever with punctuality significantly improving.
“Air travel sits at the heart of the economy, connecting friends and family, making sure that global tourism is possible, linking UK businesses with new and existing markets and transporting goods worth billions all over the world,” she said.
Cargo is also seeing strong growth in the UK’s aviation sector. It demonstrated a robust resilience in the first six months of the year with volumes growing 6 per cent year-on-year, with nearly 700,000 tonnes shipped through UK airports in Q2.
