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.
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, more than any other city. London's second-busiest airport, London-Gatwick, was until 2016 the world's busiest single-runway airport. 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, followed by Manchester Airports Group. 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.

2018 / 2019 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2019, from UK CAA statistics.
Source: UK CAA Airport Data 2019

2017 / 2018 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2018, from UK CAA statistics.
Source: UK CAA Airport Data 2018

2016 / 2017 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2017, from UK CAA statistics.
Source: UK CAA Airport Data 2017

2015 / 2016 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic and Aircraft Movements in 2016, from UK CAA statistics.
Source: UK CAA Airport Data 2016

2014 / 2015 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2015, from UK CAA statistics.
Rank
2015
AirportTotal
Passengers
2014
Total
Passengers
2015
Change
2014/15
1London-Heathrow73,405,33074,985,7482.2%
2London-Gatwick38,103,66740,269,0875.7%
3Manchester21,989,68223,136,0475.2%
4London-Stansted19,965,09322,519,17812.8%
5London-Luton10,484,93812,263,50517.0%
6Edinburgh10,160,00411,114,5879.4%
7Birmingham9,705,95510,187,1225.0%
8Glasgow7,715,9888,714,30712.9%
9Bristol6,339,8056,786,7907.1%
10Newcastle4,516,7394,562,8531.0%
11East Midlands4,510,5444,450,8621.3%
12Belfast-International4,033,9544,391,2928.9%
13London-City3,647,8244,319,30118.4%
14Liverpool3,986,6544,301,4957.9%
15Aberdeen3,723,6623,469,5256.8%
16Leeds Bradford3,274,4743,455,4455.5%
17Belfast-City2,555,1452,692,7135.4%
18Southampton1,831,7001,789,4702.3%
19Jersey1,495,7071,554,3903.9%
20Cardiff1,023,9321,160,50613.3%
21London-Southend1,102,358900,64818.3%
22Guernsey894,602891,6160.3%
23Doncaster Sheffield724,885857,10918.2%
24Exeter767,404821,7897.1%
25Isle of Man729,703781,6017.1%
26Bournemouth661,584706,7766.8%
27Inverness612,725669,3649.2%
28Glasgow Prestwick913,685610,83733.1%
29Norwich458,968459,6640.2%
30City of Derry350,257284,48518.8%
31Sumburgh264,521271,9942.8%
32Scatsta279,799253,5269.4%
33Newquay221,047251,98714.0%
34Humberside239,173222,1077.1%
35Kirkwall161,347160,2340.7%
36Durham Tees Valley142,379140,9021.0%
37Stornoway129,481127,2821.7%
38St. Mary's90,94494,7184.1%
39Alderney61,31759,8432.4%
40Land's End44,47554,16921.8%
TOTAL241,321,451254,744,8745.6%

Source: UK CAA Airport Data 2015

2013 / 2014 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2014, from UK CAA statistics.
Rank
2014
AirportTotal
Passengers
2013
Total
Passengers
2014
Change
2013/14
1London-Heathrow72,367,05473,405,3301.4%
2London-Gatwick35,444,20638,103,6677.5%
3Manchester20,751,58121,989,6826.0%
4London Stansted17,852,39319,965,09311.8%
5London-Luton9,697,94410,484,9388.1%
6Edinburgh9,775,44310,160,0043.9%
7Birmingham9,120,2019,705,9556.4%
8Glasgow7,363,7647,715,9884.8%
9Bristol6,131,8966,339,8053.4%
10Newcastle4,420,8394,516,7392.2%
11East Midlands4,334,1174,510,5444.1%
12Belfast-International4,023,3364,033,9540.3%
13Liverpool4,187,4933,986,6544.8%
14Aberdeen3,440,7653,723,6628.2%
15London-City3,379,7533,647,8247.9%
16Leeds Bradford3,318,3583,274,4741.3%
17Belfast-City2,541,7592,555,1450.5%
18Southampton1,722,7581,831,7006.3%
19Jersey1,453,8631,495,7072.9%
20London-Southend969,9121,102,35813.7%
21Cardiff1,072,0621,023,9324.5%
22Glasgow Prestwick1,145,836913,68520.3%
23Guernsey886,396894,6020.9%
24Exeter741,465767,4043.5%
25Isle of Man739,683729,7031.3%
26Doncaster Sheffield690,351724,8855.0%
27Bournemouth660,272661,5840.2%
28Inverness608,184612,7250.7%
29Norwich463,401458,9681.0%
30City of Derry384,973350,2579.0%
31Scatsta298,308279,7996.2%
32Sumburgh212,233264,52124.6%
33Humberside236,083239,1731.3%
34Blackpool262,630223,99814.7%
35Newquay174,891221,04726.4%
36Kirkwall159,325161,3471.3%
37Durham Tees Valley161,092142,37911.6%
38Stornoway122,410129,4815.8%
39Isles of Scilly 89,17090,9442.0%
40Alderney62,85561,3172.4%
TOTAL231,469,055241,500,9744.3%

Source: UK CAA Airport Data 1990–2014

2012 / 2013 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2013, from UK CAA statistics.
Rank
2013
AirportTotal
Passengers
2012
Total
Passengers
2013
Change
2012/13
1London-Heathrow70,037,41772,367,0543.3%
2London-Gatwick34,235,98235,444,2063.5%
3Manchester19,736,50220,751,5815.1%
4London Stansted17,472,69917,852,3932.2%
5Edinburgh9,195,0619,775,4436.3%
6London-Luton9,617,6979,697,9440.8%
7Birmingham8,922,5399,120,2012.2%
8Glasgow7,157,8597,363,7642.9%
9Bristol5,921,5306,131,8963.6%
10Newcastle4,366,1964,420,8391.3%
11East Midlands4,076,1784,334,1176.3%
12Liverpool4,463,2574,187,4936.2%
13Belfast-International4,313,6854,023,3366.7%
14Aberdeen3,330,1263,440,7653.3%
15London-City3,016,6643,379,75312.0%
16Leeds Bradford2,990,5173,318,35811.0%
17Belfast-City2,246,2022,541,75913.2%
18Southampton1,694,1201,722,7581.7%
19Jersey1,468,3331,453,8631.0%
20Glasgow-Prestwick1,067,9331,145,8367.3%
21Cardiff1,028,1231,072,0624.3%
22London-Southend617,027969,91257.2%
23Guernsey890,746886,3960.5%
24Exeter701,743741,4655.7%
25Isle of Man697,123739,6836.1%
26Doncaster Sheffield693,661690,3510.5%
27Bournemouth692,545660,2724.7%
28Inverness604,098608,1840.7%
29Norwich396,676463,40116.8%
30City of Derry398,209384,9733.3%
31Scatsta304,480298,3082.0%
32Blackpool235,238262,63011.6%
33Humberside234,142236,0830.8%
34Sumburgh150,567212,23341.0%
35Newquay166,609174,8915.0%
36Durham Tees Valley166,251161,0923.1%
37Kirkwall140,683159,32513.3%
38Stornoway119,411122,4102.5%
39Isles of Scilly 97,01289,1708.1%
40Alderney64,16562,8552.0%
TOTAL223,729,006231,469,0553.5%

Source: UK CAA Airport Data 1990–2014

2011 / 2012 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2012, from UK CAA statistics.
Rank
2012
AirportTotal
Passengers
2011
Total
Passengers
2012
Change
2012/11
1London-Heathrow69,433,23070,037,4170.9%
2London-Gatwick33,674,26434,235,9821.7%
3Manchester18,892,75619,736,5024.5%
4London-Stansted18,052,84317,472,6993.2%
5London-Luton9,513,7049,617,6971.1%
6Edinburgh9,385,2459,195,0612.0%
7Birmingham8,616,2968,922,5393.6%
8Glasgow6,880,2177,157,8594.0%
9Bristol5,780,7465,921,5302.4%
10Liverpool5,251,1614,463,25715.0%
11Newcastle4,346,2704,366,1960.5%
12Belfast-International4,103,6204,313,6855.1%
13East Midlands4,215,1924,076,1783.3%
14Aberdeen3,082,8163,330,1268.0%
15London-City2,992,8473,016,6640.8%
16Leeds Bradford2,976,8812,990,5170.5%
17Belfast-City2,397,3122,246,2026.3%
18Southampton1,762,0761,694,1206.6%
19Jersey1,491,3321,468,3331.5%
20Glasgow-Prestwick1,297,1191,067,93317.7%
21Cardiff1,222,7151,028,12315.9%
22Guernsey933,721890,7464.6%
23Exeter717,694701,7432.2%
24Isle of Man701,847697,1230.7%
25Doncaster Sheffield822,877693,66115.7%
26Bournemouth613,755692,54512.8%
27London-Southend42,439617,0271353.9%
28Inverness581,956604,0983.8%
29City of Derry405,697398,2091.8%
30Norwich413,896396,6764.2%
31Scatsta288,264304,4805.6%
32Blackpool235,682235,2380.2%
33Humberside274,609234,14214.7%
34Newquay216,249166,60923.0%
35Durham Tees Valley192,410166,25113.6%
36Sumburgh143,731150,5674.8%
37Kirkwall145,897140,6833.6%
38Stornoway125,582119,4114.9%
39Isles of Scilly 112,51597,01213.8%
40Alderney69,54664,1657.7%
TOTAL222,407,009223,729,0060.6%

Source: UK CAA Airport Data 1990–2014

2010 / 2011 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2011, from UK CAA statistics.
Rank
2011
AirportTotal
Passengers
2010
Total
Passengers
2011
Change
2010/11
1London-Heathrow65,881,66069,433,2305.4%
2London-Gatwick31,375,29033,674,2647.3%
3Manchester17,759,01518,892,7566.4%
4London Stansted18,573,80318,052,8432.8%
5London-Luton8,738,7179,513,7048.9%
6Edinburgh8,596,7159,385,2459.2%
7Birmingham8,572,3988,616,2960.5%
8Glasgow6,548,8656,880,2175.1%
9Bristol5,747,6045,780,7460.6%
10Liverpool5,013,9405,251,1614.7%
11Newcastle4,356,1304,346,2700.2%
12East Midlands4,113,5014,215,1922.5%
13Belfast-International4,016,1704,103,6202.2%
14Aberdeen Airport2,763,7083,082,81611.5%
15London-City2,780,5822,992,8477.6%
16Leeds Bradford2,755,1102,976,8818.0%
17Belfast-City2,740,3412,397,31212.5%
18Southampton1,733,6901,762,0761.6%
19Jersey1,463,2211,491,3321.9%
20Glasgow-Prestwick1,662,7441,297,11922.0%
21Cardiff1,404,6131,222,71513.0%
22Guernsey923,683933,7211.1%
23Doncaster Sheffield876,153822,8776.1%
24Exeter744,957717,6943.7%
25Isle of Man675,871701,8473.8%
26Bournemouth751,331613,75518.3%
27Inverness530,213581,9569.8%
28Norwich425,821413,8962.8%
29City of Derry339,432405,69719.5%
30Scatsta279,482288,2643.1%
31Humberside283,160274,6093.0%
32Blackpool235,340235,6820.1%
33Newquay315,107216,24931.4%
34Durham Tees Valley226,209192,41014.9%
35Kirkwall141,399145,8973.2%
36Sumburgh140,129143,7312.6%
37Stornoway113,680125,58210.5%
38Isles of Scilly 115,194112,5152.3%
39Penzance Heliport89,46975,20615.9%
40Alderney70,01269,5460.7%
TOTAL213,874,459222,439,7764.0%

Source: UK CAA Airport Data 1990–2014

2009 / 2010 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2010, from UK CAA statistics.
Rank
2010
AirportTotal
Passengers
2009
Total
Passengers
2010
Change
2009/10
1London-Heathrow66,036,95765,881,6600.2%
2London-Gatwick32,392,52031,375,2903.1%
3London Stansted19,957,07718,573,8036.9%
4Manchester18,724,88917,759,0155.2%
5London-Luton9,120,5468,738,7174.2%
6Edinburgh9,049,3558,596,7155.0%
7Birmingham9,102,8998,572,3985.8%
8Glasgow7,225,0216,548,8659.4%
9Bristol5,642,9215,747,6041.9%
10Liverpool4,884,4945,013,9402.7%
11Newcastle4,587,8834,356,1305.1%
12East Midlands4,658,1514,113,50111.7%
13Belfast-International4,546,4754,016,17011.7%
14London-City2,796,8902,780,5820.6%
15Aberdeen2,984,4452,763,7087.4%
16Leeds Bradford2,574,4262,755,1107.0%
17Belfast-City2,621,7632,740,3414.5%
18Southampton1,789,9011,733,6903.1%
19Glasgow-Prestwick1,817,7271,662,7448.5%
20Jersey1,491,4241,463,2211.9%
21Cardiff1,631,2361,404,61313.9%
22Guernsey937,391923,6831.4%
23Doncaster Sheffield835,768876,1534.8%
24Bournemouth870,754751,33113.7%
25Exeter795,721744,9576.4%
26Isle of Man708,127675,8714.6%
27Inverness591,397530,21310.3%
28Norwich430,594425,8211.1%
29City of Derry345,857339,4321.9%
30Newquay386,870315,10718.5%
31Humberside336,649283,16015.9%
32Scatsta270,101279,4823.5%
33Blackpool276,866235,34015.0%
34Durham Tees Valley289,464226,20921.9%
35Kirkwall150,343141,3995.9%
36Sumburgh140,714140,1290.4%
37Plymouth City157,933128,60318.6%
38Isles of Scilly 120,909115,1944.7%
39Stornoway123,199113,6807.7%
40Penzance Heliport85,91189,4694.1%
TOTAL221,491,568213,933,0503.4%

Source: UK CAA Airport Data 1990–2014

2008 / 2009 data

The following is a list of the 40 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic in 2009, from UK CAA statistics.
Rank
2009
AirportTotal
Passengers
2008
Total
Passengers
2009
Change
2008/09
1London-Heathrow67,054,74566,036,9571.5%
2London-Gatwick34,205,88732,392,5205.3%
3London Stansted22,360,36419,957,07710.7%
4Manchester21,219,19518,724,88911.8%
5London-Luton10,180,7349,120,54610.4%
6Birmingham9,627,5899,102,8995.4%
7Edinburgh9,006,7029,049,3550.5%
8Glasgow8,178,8917,225,02111.7%
9Bristol6,267,1145,642,92110.0%
10Liverpool5,334,1524,884,4948.4%
11East Midlands5,620,6734,658,15117.1%
12Newcastle5,039,9934,587,8839.0%
13Belfast-International5,262,3544,546,47513.6%
14Aberdeen3,290,9202,984,4459.3%
15London-City3,260,2362,796,89014.2%
16Belfast-City2,570,7422,621,7632.0%
17Leeds Bradford2,873,3212,574,42610.4%
18Glasgow-Prestwick2,415,7551,817,72724.8%
19Southampton1,945,9931,789,9018.0%
20Cardiff1,994,8921,631,23618.2%
21Jersey1,625,6601,491,4248.3%
22Guernsey945,441937,3910.9%
23Bournemouth1,083,446870,75419.6%
24Doncaster Sheffield968,481835,76813.7%
25Exeter956,251795,72116.8%
26Isle of Man754,419708,1276.1%
27Inverness678,776591,39712.9%
28Norwich583,056430,59426.1%
29Newquay466,448386,87017.1%
30City of Derry439,033345,85721.2%
31Humberside427,648336,64921.3%
32Durham Tees Valley655,017289,46455.9%
33Blackpool439,200276,86636.9%
34Scatsta243,087270,10111.1%
35Plymouth City117,823157,93334.0%
36Kirkwall149,508150,3430.6%
37Sumburgh156,948140,71410.3%
38Stornoway131,752123,1996.5%
39Isles of Scilly 122,863120,9094.0%
40Penzance Heliport98,36085,91112.7%
TOTAL238,753,469221,491,5687.2%

Source: UK CAA Airport Data 1990–2014

20 largest UK airports by total passenger traffic

2010 Data

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics

2009 Data

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics

2008 Data

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics

2007 Data

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics

2006 Data

Source: UK CAA Official Statistics

Future airport expansion