The UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) is working with industry to prepare for what it believes will be the “busiest Christmas in history”, as tens of millions of passengers are predicted to take to the skies in December.
Data from the UK CAA shows that 2025 was the busiest summer ever for passengers travelling through UK airports. In the first nine months of the year, 231 million passengers travelled through UK airports. New estimates suggest the total passengers travelling may exceed 300 million passengers for the first time ever in 2025.
Last year, 295 million passengers flew through UK airports, with 22 million flying in December 2024. This year also saw delays at airports reduce further, although still behind pre-Covid figures. 64% of flights operated on time, up 7 percentage points on peak summer 2024.
Selina Chadha, group director for consumers and markets at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: “We now have more people flying than ever before, and are on track for the biggest Christmas getaway in history.”
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, added: “UK airlines continue to be an engine of economic growth, meeting increased demand from passengers and businesses whilst working hard to deliver the best experience for customers. Maintaining these positive trends is key as the sector faces growing cost pressures and means industry, Government and the CAA working together to ensure the UK remains a competitive place to base and operate an airline.”
Other findings from the UK CAA’s latest aviation trends data show that in Summer 2025:
- The UK airports with the highest percentage growth in passengers compared to last year include Edinburgh (+9%), Liverpool (+10%) and Bournemouth (28%).
- The most popular international destinations were in Europe, with Palma de Mallorca, Dublin, Amsterdam and Alicante topping the list.
- Middle Eastern airlines saw some of the highest growth figures in the UK, including Etihad Airways (+23%), Qatar Airways (+14%), Sunexpress (+17%) and Turkish Airlines (+8%).
- Nearly 700,000 tons of cargo were shipped through UK airports between July and September, continuing the trend of growing figures across the last few years.
