Busiest airports in the United Kingdom by total passenger traffic
Encyclopedia
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by total passenger traffic, including information on international, domestic and transit counterparts. The data also shows total aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
movements and cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
volume handled at each airport.
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
serves as the largest aviation hub in the world by passenger traffic, with five international airport
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
s, handling 130,307,938 passengers in 2009, more than any other city. London's second busiest airport, Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
, is the world's busiest single runway airport. The aircraft movement of London's combined gateways is second only to New York City in runway operations (number of takeoffs and landings).
The United Kingdom is home to many of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's largest and busiest airports as well as one of the busiest international airports in the world, London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, which handles over 67 million international passengers annually.
2009 / 2010 data
The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports in 2010, from final 2009 and 2010 CAA statistics.| Rank | Airport | Total Passengers 2009 |
Total Passengers 2010 |
Change 2009/10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
66,036,957 | 65,881,660 | 0.2% |
| 2 | London Gatwick Airport | 32,392,520 | 31,375,290 | 3.1% |
| 3 | London Stansted Airport London Stansted Airport -Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures... |
19,957,077 | 18,573,803 | 6.9% |
| 4 | Manchester Airport | 18,724,889 | 17,759,015 | 5.2% |
| 5 | London Luton Airport London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway... |
9,120,546 | 8,738,717 | 4.2% |
| 6 | Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements... |
9,049,355 | 8,596,715 | 5.0% |
| 7 | Birmingham Airport | 9,102,899 | 8,572,398 | 5.8% |
| 8 | Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire... |
7,225,021 | 6,548,865 | 9.4% |
| 9 | Bristol International Airport Bristol International Airport Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport... |
5,642,921 | 5,747,604 | 1.9% |
| 10 | Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast... |
4,884,494 | 5,013,940 | 2.7% |
| 11 | Newcastle Airport Newcastle Airport Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.... |
4,587,883 | 4,356,130 | 5.1% |
| 12 | East Midlands Airport | 4,658,151 | 4,113,501 | 11.7% |
| 13 | Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with... |
4,546,475 | 4,016,170 | 11.7% |
| 14 | London City Airport London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... |
2,796,890 | 2,780,582 | 0.6% |
| 15 | Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
2,984,445 | 2,763,708 | 7.4% |
| 16 | Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself... |
2,574,426 | 2,755,110 | 7.0% |
| 17 | George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility... |
2,621,763 | 2,740,341 | 4.5% |
| 18 | Southampton Airport Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.... |
1,789,901 | 1,733,690 | 3.1% |
| 19 | Glasgow Prestwick Airport | 1,817,727 | 1,662,744 | 8.5% |
| 20 | Jersey Airport Jersey Airport -Busiest routes:Some airlines offer services between Jersey and other destinations with an intermediate stop at Guernsey. There are also periodic charter flights to European holiday destinations, Madeira and ski destinations operated by airlines such as Aurigny Air Services, Europe Airpost, Palmair... |
1,491,424 | 1,463,221 | 1.9% |
| 21 | Cardiff Airport | 1,631,236 | 1,404,613 | 13.9% |
| 22 | Guernsey Airport Guernsey Airport Guernsey Airport is the largest airport in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and is the only airport on the island of Guernsey. It is located in the Forest, a parish in Guernsey, west southwest of St. Peter Port.-History:... |
937,391 | 923,683 | 1.4% |
| 23 | Doncaster Sheffield Airport | 835,768 | 876,153 | 4.8% |
| 24 | Bournemouth Airport Bournemouth Airport Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England... |
870,754 | 751,331 | 13.7% |
| 25 | Exeter International Airport Exeter International Airport Exeter International Airport is an airport located at Clyst Honiton in the District of East Devon close to the city of Exeter and within the county of Devon, South West England.... |
795,721 | 744,957 | 6.4% |
| 26 | Isle of Man Airport Isle of Man Airport Isle of Man Airport , also known as Ronaldsway Airport and, in Manx, Purt Aer Vannin, is the main civilian airport on the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island at Ronaldsway near Castletown, southwest of Douglas, the island's capital. Along with the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, it is... |
708,127 | 675,871 | 4.6% |
| 27 | Inverness Airport Inverness Airport Inverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited... |
591,397 | 530,213 | 10.3% |
| 28 | Norwich International Airport Norwich International Airport Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs.... |
430,594 | 425,821 | 1.1% |
| 29 | City of Derry Airport City of Derry Airport City of Derry Airport is an airport located northeast of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and from the city centre... |
345,857 | 339,432 | 1.9% |
| 30 | Newquay Airport | 386,870 | 315,107 | 18.5% |
| 31 | Humberside Airport Humberside Airport -Cargo flights:Icelandair Cargo operate a weekly Sunday flight from Keflavík which then departs to Liege-Passenger statistics:-Bus service:An hourly daytime bus service runs from Grimsby and Hull to the airport from Monday to Saturday.-External links:**... |
336,649 | 283,160 | 15.9% |
| 32 | Scatsta Airport Scatsta Airport Scatsta Airport , is a commercial airport on Shetland in Scotland located north of Lerwick and southwest of Sullom Voe Terminal.Scatsta Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee... |
270,101 | 279,482 | 3.5% |
| 33 | Blackpool Airport Blackpool Airport Blackpool International Airport is an international airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport.... |
276,866 | 235,340 | 15.0% |
| 34 | Durham Tees Valley Airport Durham Tees Valley Airport Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington... |
289,464 | 226,209 | 21.9% |
| 35 | Kirkwall Airport Kirkwall Airport Kirkwall Airport is the main airport serving the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It is located southeast of Kirkwall and is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited... |
150,343 | 141,399 | 5.9% |
| 36 | Sumburgh Airport Sumburgh Airport -Other tenants:*Maritime and Coastguard Agency *Bristow Helicopters*Bond Helicopters -Incidents and accidents:... |
140,714 | 140,129 | 0.4% |
| 37 | Plymouth City Airport Plymouth City Airport Plymouth City Airport is an airport located within the City of Plymouth north northeast of the city centre in Devon, England. The airport opened on this site in 1925 and was officially opened by the Edward VIII, as Prince of Wales, in 1931... |
157,933 | 128,603 | 18.6% |
| 38 | St. Mary's Airport | 120,909 | 115,194 | 4.7% |
| 39 | Stornoway Airport Stornoway Airport -Other Tenants:* Maritime and Coastguard Agency - 2 Sikorsky S-92 helicopters operated by CHC Helicopter-Accident and incidents:... |
123,199 | 113,680 | 7.7% |
| 40 | Penzance Heliport Penzance Heliport Penzance Heliport is located northeast of Penzance, Cornwall. The heliport has scheduled flights to the Isles of Scilly, which connect to the railway network at Penzance railway station by a special bus service... |
85,911 | 89,469 | 4.1% |
| TOTAL | 221,491,568 | 213,933,050 | 3.4% | |
Source: UK CAA Official Statistics
2008 / 2009 data
The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports, which served 221,491,568 passengers annually in 2009, from 2008-2009 CAA statistics.| Rank | Airport | Total Passengers 2008 |
Total Passengers 2009 |
Change 2008/09 |
Aircraft movements 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
67,054,745 | 66,036,957 | 1.5% | 466,393 |
| 2 | London Gatwick Airport | 34,205,887 | 32,392,520 | 5.3% | 251,879 |
| 3 | London Stansted Airport London Stansted Airport -Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures... |
22,360,364 | 19,957,077 | 10.7% | 167,817 |
| 4 | Manchester Airport | 21,219,195 | 18,724,889 | 11.8% | 172,515 |
| 5 | London Luton Airport London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway... |
10,180,734 | 9,120,546 | 10.4% | 98,736 |
| 6 | Birmingham Airport | 9,627,589 | 9,102,899 | 5.4% | 101,221 |
| 7 | Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements... |
9,006,702 | 9,049,355 | 0.5% | 115,969 |
| 8 | Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire... |
8,178,891 | 7,225,021 | 11.7% | 85,281 |
| 9 | Bristol International Airport Bristol International Airport Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport... |
6,267,114 | 5,642,921 | 10.0% | 70,245 |
| 10 | Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast... |
5,334,152 | 4,884,494 | 8.4% | 79,298 |
| 11 | East Midlands Airport | 5,620,673 | 4,658,151 | 17.1% | 83,256 |
| 12 | Newcastle Airport Newcastle Airport Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.... |
5,039,993 | 4,587,883 | 9.0% | 69,254 |
| 13 | Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with... |
5,262,354 | 4,546,475 | 13.6% | 68,813 |
| 14 | Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
3,290,920 | 2,984,445 | 9.3% | 109,876 |
| 15 | London City Airport London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... |
3,260,236 | 2,796,890 | 14.2% | 76,861 |
| 16 | George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility... |
2,570,742 | 2,621,763 | 2.0% | 39,330 |
| 17 | Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself... |
2,873,321 | 2,574,426 | 10.4% | 53,817 |
| 18 | Glasgow Prestwick Airport | 2,415,755 | 1,817,727 | 24.8% | 34,230 |
| 19 | Southampton Airport Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.... |
1,945,993 | 1,789,901 | 8.0% | 45,502 |
| 20 | Cardiff Airport | 1,994,892 | 1,631,236 | 18.2% | 27,003 |
| 21 | Jersey Airport Jersey Airport -Busiest routes:Some airlines offer services between Jersey and other destinations with an intermediate stop at Guernsey. There are also periodic charter flights to European holiday destinations, Madeira and ski destinations operated by airlines such as Aurigny Air Services, Europe Airpost, Palmair... |
1,625,660 | 1,491,424 | 8.3% | 64,120 |
| 22 | Guernsey Airport Guernsey Airport Guernsey Airport is the largest airport in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and is the only airport on the island of Guernsey. It is located in the Forest, a parish in Guernsey, west southwest of St. Peter Port.-History:... |
945,441 | 937,391 | 0.9% | 57,634 |
| 23 | Bournemouth Airport Bournemouth Airport Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England... |
1,083,446 | 870,754 | 19.6% | 82,538 |
| 24 | Doncaster Sheffield Airport | 968,481 | 835,768 | 13.7% | 10,584 |
| 25 | Exeter International Airport Exeter International Airport Exeter International Airport is an airport located at Clyst Honiton in the District of East Devon close to the city of Exeter and within the county of Devon, South West England.... |
956,251 | 795,721 | 16.8% | 37,562 |
| 26 | Isle of Man Airport Isle of Man Airport Isle of Man Airport , also known as Ronaldsway Airport and, in Manx, Purt Aer Vannin, is the main civilian airport on the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island at Ronaldsway near Castletown, southwest of Douglas, the island's capital. Along with the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, it is... |
754,419 | 708,127 | 6.1% | 40,539 |
| 27 | Inverness Airport Inverness Airport Inverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited... |
678,776 | 591,397 | 12.9% | 30,290 |
| 28 | Norwich International Airport Norwich International Airport Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs.... |
583,056 | 430,594 | 26.1% | 42,003 |
| 29 | Newquay Airport | 466,448 | 386,870 | 17.1% | 12,835 |
| 30 | City of Derry Airport City of Derry Airport City of Derry Airport is an airport located northeast of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and from the city centre... |
439,033 | 345,857 | 21.2% | 10,286 |
| 31 | Humberside Airport Humberside Airport -Cargo flights:Icelandair Cargo operate a weekly Sunday flight from Keflavík which then departs to Liege-Passenger statistics:-Bus service:An hourly daytime bus service runs from Grimsby and Hull to the airport from Monday to Saturday.-External links:**... |
427,648 | 336,649 | 21.3% | 35,060 |
| 32 | Durham Tees Valley Airport Durham Tees Valley Airport Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington... |
655,017 | 289,464 | 55.9% | 25,208 |
| 33 | Blackpool Airport Blackpool Airport Blackpool International Airport is an international airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport.... |
439,200 | 276,866 | 36.9% | 52,575 |
| 34 | Scatsta Airport Scatsta Airport Scatsta Airport , is a commercial airport on Shetland in Scotland located north of Lerwick and southwest of Sullom Voe Terminal.Scatsta Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee... |
243,087 | 270,101 | 11.1% | 14,364 |
| 35 | Plymouth City Airport Plymouth City Airport Plymouth City Airport is an airport located within the City of Plymouth north northeast of the city centre in Devon, England. The airport opened on this site in 1925 and was officially opened by the Edward VIII, as Prince of Wales, in 1931... |
117,823 | 157,933 | 34.0% | 19,763 |
| 36 | Kirkwall Airport Kirkwall Airport Kirkwall Airport is the main airport serving the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It is located southeast of Kirkwall and is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited... |
149,508 | 150,343 | 0.6% | 15,590 |
| 37 | Sumburgh Airport Sumburgh Airport -Other tenants:*Maritime and Coastguard Agency *Bristow Helicopters*Bond Helicopters -Incidents and accidents:... |
156,948 | 140,714 | 10.3% | 12,159 |
| 38 | Stornoway Airport Stornoway Airport -Other Tenants:* Maritime and Coastguard Agency - 2 Sikorsky S-92 helicopters operated by CHC Helicopter-Accident and incidents:... |
131,752 | 123,199 | 6.5% | 11,627 |
| 39 | St. Mary's Airport | 122,863 | 120,909 | 4.0% | 2,126 |
| 40 | Penzance Heliport Penzance Heliport Penzance Heliport is located northeast of Penzance, Cornwall. The heliport has scheduled flights to the Isles of Scilly, which connect to the railway network at Penzance railway station by a special bus service... |
98,360 | 85,911 | 12.7% | 5,218 |
| TOTAL | 238,986,131 | 221,491,568 | 7.3% | 2,799,377 | |
Source: UK CAA Official Statistics
2010 Data
| Rank | Airport | Total Passengers |
% Change 2009/2010 |
International Passengers |
Domestic Passengers |
Transit Passengers |
Aircraft Movements |
Freight (Metric Tonnes Tonne The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
65,881,660 | 0.3% | 60,904,418 | 4,840,832 | 136,410 | 454,823 | 1,472,988 |
| 2 | London Gatwick London Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport... |
31,375,290 | 3.1% | 27,845,885 | 3,496,378 | 33,027 | 240,500 | 104,032 |
| 3 | London Stansted London Stansted Airport -Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures... |
18,573,803 | 6.9% | 16,838,683 | 1,723,337 | 11,783 | 155,140 | 202,238 |
| 4 | Manchester | 17,759,015 | 5.2% | 15,424,948 | 2,237,593 | 96,474 | 159,114 | 115,922 |
| 5 | London Luton London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway... |
8,738,717 | 4.2% | 7,796,057 | 937,785 | 4,875 | 94,575 | 28,743 |
| 6 | Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements... |
8,596,715 | 5.0% | 4,162,932 | 4,431,517 | 2,266 | 108,997 | 20,357 |
| 7 | Birmingham | 8,572,398 | 5.8% | 7,433,278 | 1,130,227 | 8,893 | 95,454 | 21,605 |
| 8 | Glasgow International Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire... |
6,548,865 | 9.4% | 3,078,725 | 3,443,040 | 27,100 | 77,755 | 2,914 |
| 9 | Bristol Bristol International Airport Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport... |
5,747,604 | 1.9% | 4,644,034 | 1,079,148 | 24,422 | 69,134 | 0 |
| 10 | Liverpool Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast... |
5,013,940 | 2.7% | 4,203,065 | 804,879 | 5,996 | 68,164 | 265 |
| 11 | Newcastle Newcastle Airport Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.... |
4,356,130 | 5.1% | 3,096,221 | 1,249,731 | 10,178 | 66,677 | 3,650 |
| 12 | East Midlands | 4,113,501 | 11.7% | 3,532,444 | 578,085 | 2,972 | 69,452 | 273,630 |
| 13 | Belfast International Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with... |
4,016,170 | 11.7% | 1,621,268 | 2,389,704 | 5,198 | 60,742 | 29,716 |
| 14 | London City London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... |
2,780,582 | 0.6% | 2,224,394 | 556,188 | 0 | 68,640 | 0 |
| 15 | Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
2,763,708 | 7.4% | 1,159,942 | 1,603,549 | 217 | 102,396 | 4,211 |
| 16 | Leeds Bradford Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself... |
2,755,110 | 7.0% | 2,323,110 | 400,723 | 31,277 | 52,284 | 235 |
| 17 | Belfast City George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility... |
2,740,341 | 4.5% | 62,850 | 2,677,455 | 36 | 40,324 | 155 |
| 18 | Southampton Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.... |
1,733,690 | 3.1% | 668,850 | 1,064,703 | 137 | 45,350 | 116 |
| 19 | Glasgow Prestwick | 1,662,744 | 8.5% | 1,314,420 | 345,526 | 2,798 | 33,087 | 12,163 |
| 20 | Jersey Jersey Airport -Busiest routes:Some airlines offer services between Jersey and other destinations with an intermediate stop at Guernsey. There are also periodic charter flights to European holiday destinations, Madeira and ski destinations operated by airlines such as Aurigny Air Services, Europe Airpost, Palmair... |
1,463,221 | 1.9% | 72,502 | 1,356,296 | 34,423 | 61,739 | 3,027 |
Source: UK CAA Official Statistics
2009 Data
| Rank | Airport | Total Passengers |
% Change 2008/2009 |
International Passengers |
Domestic Passengers |
Transit Passengers |
Aircraft Movements |
Freight (Metric Tonnes Tonne The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
66,036,957 | 1.5% | 60,652,036 | 5,254,605 | 130,316 | 466,393 | 1,277,650 |
| 2 | London Gatwick London Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport... |
32,392,520 | 5.3% | 28,698,660 | 3,662,113 | 31,747 | 251,879 | 74,680 |
| 3 | London Stansted London Stansted Airport -Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures... |
19,957,077 | 10.7% | 18,054,748 | 1,894,941 | 7,388 | 167,817 | 182,810 |
| 4 | Manchester | 18,724,889 | 11.8% | 16,063,891 | 2,566,503 | 94,495 | 172,515 | 102,543 |
| 5 | London Luton London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway... |
9,120,546 | 10.4% | 7,937,319 | 1,178,008 | 5,219 | 98,736 | 28,643 |
| 6 | Birmingham | 9,102,899 | 5.4% | 7,773,643 | 1,319,558 | 9,698 | 101,221 | 13,070 |
| 7 | Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements... |
9,049,355 | 0.5% | 4,136,677 | 4,906,775 | 5,903 | 115,969 | 23,791 |
| 8 | Glasgow International Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire... |
7,225,021 | 11.7% | 3,423,174 | 3,790,223 | 11,624 | 85,281 | 2,334 |
| 9 | Bristol Bristol International Airport Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport... |
5,642,921 | 10.0% | 4,506,808 | 1,108,392 | 27,721 | 70,245 | 0 |
| 10 | Liverpool Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast... |
4,884,494 | 8.4% | 4,078,795 | 800,673 | 5,026 | 79,298 | 264 |
| 11 | East Midlands | 4,658,151 | 17.1% | 4,019,364 | 633,327 | 5,460 | 83,256 | 255,121 |
| 12 | Newcastle Newcastle Airport Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.... |
4,587,883 | 9.0% | 3,158,477 | 1,410,142 | 19,264 | 69,254 | 2,597 |
| 13 | Belfast International Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with... |
4,546,475 | 13.6% | 1,667,738 | 2,868,760 | 9,977 | 68,813 | 29,804 |
| 14 | Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
2,984,445 | 9.3% | 1,286,843 | 1,696,950 | 652 | 109,876 | 3,822 |
| 15 | London City London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... |
2,796,890 | 14.2% | 2,204,731 | 592,159 | 0 | 76,861 | 0 |
| 16 | Belfast City George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility... |
2,621,763 | 2.0% | 55,251 | 2,566,482 | 30 | 39,330 | 138 |
| 17 | Leeds Bradford Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself... |
2,574,426 | 10.4% | 2,098,479 | 454,118 | 21,829 | 53,817 | 359 |
| 18 | Glasgow Prestwick | 1,817,727 | 24.8% | 1,358,000 | 459,286 | 441 | 34,230 | 13,385 |
| 19 | Southampton Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.... |
1,789,901 | 8.0% | 682,427 | 1,107,016 | 458 | 45,502 | 209 |
| 20 | Cardiff | 1,631,236 | 18.2% | 1,249,530 | 375,200 | 6,506 | 27,003 | 178 |
Source: UK CAA Official Statistics
2008 Data
| Rank | Airport | Total Passengers |
% Change 2007/2008 |
International Passengers |
Domestic Passengers |
Transit Passengers |
Aircraft Movements |
Freight (Metric Tonnes Tonne The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
67,054,745 | 1.5% | 61,344,438 | 5,562,516 | 147,791 | 478,693 | 1,397,054 |
| 2 | London Gatwick London Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport... |
34,205,887 | 2.9% | 30,431,051 | 3,730,963 | 43,873 | 263,653 | 107,702 |
| 3 | London Stansted London Stansted Airport -Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures... |
22,360,364 | 6.0% | 19,996,947 | 2,343,428 | 19,989 | 193,282 | 197,738 |
| 4 | Manchester | 21,219,195 | 4.0% | 18,119,230 | 2,943,719 | 156,246 | 204,610 | 141,781 |
| 5 | London Luton London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway... |
10,180,734 | 2.6% | 8,853,224 | 1,320,678 | 6,832 | 117,859 | 40,518 |
| 6 | Birmingham Airport | 9,627,589 | 4.3% | 8,105,162 | 1,471,538 | 50,889 | 112,227 | 12,192 |
| 7 | Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements... |
9,006,702 | 0.5% | 3,711,140 | 5,281,038 | 14,524 | 125,550 | 12,418 |
| 8 | Glasgow International Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire... |
8,178,891 | 7.0% | 3,943,139 | 4,192,121 | 43,631 | 100,087 | 3,546 |
| 9 | Bristol Bristol International Airport Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport... |
6,267,114 | 5.7% | 5,057,051 | 1,171,605 | 38,458 | 76,517 | 3 |
| 10 | East Midlands | 5,620,673 | 3.8% | 4,870,184 | 746,094 | 4,395 | 93,038 | 261,507 |
| 11 | Liverpool Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast... |
5,334,152 | 2.5% | 4,514,926 | 814,900 | 4,326 | 84,890 | 3,740 |
| 12 | Belfast International Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with... |
5,262,354 | 0.2% | 2,122,844 | 3,099,995 | 39,515 | 77,943 | 36,115 |
| 13 | Newcastle Newcastle Airport Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.... |
5,039,993 | 10.8% | 3,506,681 | 1,509,959 | 23,353 | 72,904 | 1,938 |
| 14 | Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
3,290,920 | 3.6% | 1,470,099 | 1,820,137 | 684 | 119,831 | 4,006 |
| 15 | London City London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... |
3,260,236 | 12.0% | 2,600,731 | 659,494 | 11 | 94,516 | 0 |
| 16 | Leeds Bradford Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself... |
2,873,321 | 0.3% | 2,282,358 | 578,089 | 12,874 | 61,699 | 334 |
| 17 | Belfast City George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility... |
2,570,742 | 17.5% | 70,516 | 2,500,225 | 1 | 42,990 | 168 |
| 18 | Glasgow Prestwick | 2,415,755 | 0.3% | 1,728,020 | 685,999 | 1,736 | 42,708 | 22,966 |
| 19 | Cardiff | 1,994,892 | 5.5% | 1,565,991 | 412,728 | 16,173 | 37,123 | 1,334 |
| 20 | Southampton Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.... |
1,945,993 | 1.0% | 768,487 | 1,177,280 | 226 | 50,689 | 264 |
Source: UK CAA Official Statistics
2007 Data
| Rank | Airport | Total Passengers |
% Change 2006/2007 |
International Passengers |
Domestic Passengers |
Transit Passengers |
Aircraft Movements |
Freight (Metric Tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
68,066,028 | 0.8% | 62,098,911 | 5,753,476 | 213,641 | 481,476 | 1,310,987 |
| 2 | London Gatwick London Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport... |
35,216,113 | 3.1% | 31,142,002 | 4,023,402 | 50,709 | 266,550 | 171,078 |
| 3 | London Stansted London Stansted Airport -Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures... |
23,779,697 | 0.4% | 21,204,946 | 2,554,304 | 20,447 | 208,462 | 203,747 |
| 4 | Manchester | 22,112,625 | 1.5% | 18,662,468 | 3,229,255 | 220,902 | 222,703 | 165,366 |
| 5 | London Luton London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway... |
9,927,321 | 5.3% | 8,427,894 | 1,491,467 | 7,960 | 120,238 | 38,095 |
| 6 | Birmingham Airport | 9,226,340 | 0.9% | 7,592,240 | 1,541,815 | 92,285 | 114,679 | 13,585 |
| 7 | Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements... |
9,047,558 | 5.1% | 3,417,891 | 5,619,309 | 10,358 | 128,172 | 19,292 |
| 8 | Glasgow International Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire... |
8,795,727 | 0.6% | 4,131,512 | 4,594,575 | 69,640 | 108,305 | 4,276 |
| 9 | Bristol Bristol International Airport Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport... |
5,926,774 | 2.9% | 4,608,290 | 1,275,566 | 42,918 | 76,428 | 20 |
| 10 | Newcastle Newcastle Airport Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.... |
5,650,716 | 4.0% | 3,948,594 | 1,675,013 | 27,109 | 79,200 | 785 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 5,468,510 | 10.2% | 4,636,149 | 827,085 | 5,276 | 86,668 | 3,709 |
| 12 | East Midlands | 5,413,360 | 14.5% | 4,709,855 | 696,649 | 6,856 | 93,989 | 274,753 |
| 13 | Belfast International Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with... |
5,272,664 | 4.6% | 1,788,807 | 3,447,248 | 36,609 | 77,395 | 38,429 |
| 14 | Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
3,412,257 | 7.8% | 1,475,988 | 1,935,152 | 1,117 | 121,927 | 3,434 |
| 15 | London City London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... |
2,912,123 | 23.5% | 2,214,884 | 697,239 | 0 | 91,177 | 0 |
| 16 | Leeds Bradford Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself... |
2,881,539 | 3.2% | 2,229,283 | 630,575 | 21,681 | 65,249 | 109 |
| 17 | Glasgow Prestwick | 2,422,332 | 1.0% | 1,827,592 | 593,117 | 1,623 | 47,910 | 31,517 |
| 18 | Belfast City George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility... |
2,186,993 | 3.9% | 93,547 | 2,093,320 | 126 | 43,022 | 1,057 |
| 19 | Cardiff | 2,111,148 | 4.3% | 1,665,247 | 428,260 | 17,641 | 43,963 | 2,391 |
| 20 | Southampton Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.... |
1,965,686 | 2.8% | 767,416 | 1,198,006 | 264 | 54,183 | 297 |
Source: UK CAA Official Statistics
2006 Data
| Rank | Airport | Total Passengers |
% Change 2005/2006 |
International Passengers |
Domestic Passengers |
Transit Passengers |
Aircraft Movements |
Freight (Metric Tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
67,527,923 | 0.6% | 61,345,841 | 5,993,386 | 188,696 | 477,048 | 1,263,128 |
| 2 | London Gatwick London Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport... |
34,163,579 | 4.2% | 30,018,783 | 4,061,562 | 83,234 | 263,363 | 211,857 |
| 3 | London Stansted London Stansted Airport -Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures... |
23,687,013 | 7.7% | 21,002,260 | 2,678,092 | 6,661 | 206,693 | 224,312 |
| 4 | Manchester | 22,442,855 | 0.2% | 18,601,604 | 3,522,158 | 319,093 | 229,729 | 148,957 |
| 5 | London Luton London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway... |
9,425,908 | 3.0% | 7,875,084 | 1,539,745 | 11,079 | 116,131 | 17,993 |
| 6 | Birmingham Airport | 9,147,384 | 2.5% | 7,532,792 | 1,523,212 | 91,380 | 119,490 | 14,681 |
| 7 | Glasgow International Glasgow International Airport Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire... |
8,848,755 | 0.6% | 4,245,338 | 4,575,124 | 28,293 | 110,034 | 6,289 |
| 8 | Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements... |
8,611,345 | 1.8% | 2,743,220 | 5,863,431 | 4,694 | 126,914 | 36,389 |
| 9 | Bristol Bristol International Airport Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport... |
5,757,963 | 9.6% | 4,297,696 | 1,412,526 | 47,741 | 84,583 | 32 |
| 10 | Newcastle Newcastle Airport Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.... |
5,431,976 | 4.4% | 3,624,228 | 1,783,134 | 24,614 | 81,655 | 306 |
| 11 | Belfast International Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with... |
5,038,692 | 4.4% | 1,533,065 | 3,482,199 | 23,428 | 77,652 | 38,417 |
| 12 | Liverpool | 4,963,776 | 12.5% | 4,078,245 | 884,215 | 1,316 | 91,263 | 5,724 |
| 13 | East Midlands | 4,727,996 | 13.0% | 4,048,071 | 672,748 | 7,177 | 88,592 | 272,303 |
| 14 | Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
3,164,042 | 10.9% | 1,325,989 | 1,836,635 | 1,418 | 116,971 | 4,022 |
| 15 | Leeds Bradford Leeds Bradford International Airport Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself... |
2,792,686 | 7.0% | 2,154,982 | 632,235 | 5,469 | 66,921 | 101 |
| 16 | Glasgow Prestwick | 2,397,412 | 0.4% | 1,824,523 | 570,405 | 2,484 | 48,189 | 28,537 |
| 17 | London City London City Airport London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering... |
2,358,184 | 18.1% | 1,738,346 | 619,813 | 25 | 79,436 | 0 |
| 18 | Belfast City George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility... |
2,105,769 | 5.9% | 51,948 | 2,053,649 | 172 | 39,411 | 827 |
| 19 | Cardiff | 2,024,428 | 13.8% | 1,628,245 | 364,852 | 31,331 | 42,055 | 2,212 |
| 20 | Southampton Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.... |
1,912,979 | 4.2% | 619,219 | 1,293,483 | 277 | 55,786 | 195 |
Source: UK CAA Official Statistics
Future airport expansion
- London HeathrowLondon Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
- 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. However, serious delays and glitches remain. Plans for a third runway could increase aircraft movement dramatically and see over 115 million passengers using Heathrow annually. See also Future expansion and Expansion of London Heathrow AirportExpansion of London Heathrow AirportThe expansion of London Heathrow Airport involved the proposal by BAA Limited to build a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow. The plan was supported by businesses, the aviation industry, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, the Trades Union Congress and... - London StanstedLondon Stansted Airport-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
- Plans to increase Stansted's usage are also underway. See Proposed expansion - London SouthendLondon Southend AirportLondon Southend Airport or Southend Airport is a regional airport in the district of Rochford within Essex, England.During the 1960s, Southend was the third-busiest airport in the United Kingdom. It remained London's third-busiest airport in terms of passengers handled until the end of the 1970s,...
- Since it's purchase by the Stobart Group in 2008, London Southend Airport has embarked on a massive programme of development including a 300m runway extension, new terminal, railway station and hotel. EasyJet is commencing services from the airport in April 2012 with the anticipation that 700,000 passengers will be carried by easyJet alone in 2012. - Manchester - 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 LutonLondon Luton AirportLondon Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway...
- 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. See Development plans and the future - Birmingham - Birmingham Airport also has plans to expand, with a new terminal due for completion in 2012. See Birmingham Airport Future
- Leeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
- In November 2008, Bridgepoint CapitalBridgepoint CapitalBridgepoint is a UK-based private equity investor in companies valued up to €1 billion, including Pets at Home and Pret A Manger in the UK, Dorna in Spain, and Alain Afflelou in France.-History:...
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 HorsforthHorsforthHorsforth is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying to the north west of Leeds. It has a population of 18,928....
enabling a link with Leeds railway station. - Bournemouth AirportBournemouth AirportBournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...
- A £45 million redevelopment by Manchester Airports group was announced in 2006 and began in 2008. The terminal building is to double in size, 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. - Other - Numerous UK airports are expanding to accommodate the new Airbus A380, and even the smaller airports such as Blackpool International are becoming larger and more popular due to demand.
See also
- World's busiest airports by traffic movementsWorld's busiest airports by traffic movementsThe thirty world's busiest airports by aircraft movements are measured by total movements . One total movement is a landing or take off of an aircraft.- 2010 final statistics :-2009 final statistics:...
- World's busiest airports by passenger trafficWorld's busiest airports by passenger trafficThe world's busiest airports by passenger traffic are measured by number of total passengers . One passenger is described as someone who arrives in, departs from, or transfers through the airport on a given day...
- World's busiest airports by international passenger trafficWorld's busiest airports by international passenger trafficThe following is a list of the world's busiest airports by international passenger traffic.London Heathrow has been the busiest since 2000-2010 year-to-date statistics:Airports Council International's year-to-date figures are as follows....
- World's busiest airports by cargo trafficWorld's busiest airports by cargo trafficThe world's thirty busiest airports by cargo traffic for various periods . Numbers listed refer to loaded and unloaded freight in metric tonnes.-2010 final statistics:...
- World's largest airlines
- List of the busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic
- List of the largest airports in the Nordic countries
- Busiest airports in the Republic of Ireland by total passenger trafficBusiest airports in the Republic of Ireland by total passenger trafficThe following table shows 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 passenger traffic statistics for the three largest airports in the Republic of Ireland, ranked by total passenger traffic each year...
- List of the busiest airports in the British Isles
- Transport in the United KingdomTransport in the United KingdomTransport in the United Kingdom is facilitated with road, air, rail, and water networks. A radial road network totals of main roads, of motorways and of paved roads. The National Rail network of 10,072 route miles in Great Britain and 189 route miles in Northern Ireland carries over 18,000...
- Air transport in the United KingdomAir transport in the United KingdomAir transport in the United Kingdom is the commercial carriage of passengers, freight and mail by aircraft, both within the United Kingdom and between the UK and the rest of the world...