Air transport in the United Kingdom

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}

{{Copy edit|date=June 2025}}

{{Copy edit|date=June 2025}}

[[File:Heathrow LON 04 07 77.JPG|thumb|right|[[Heathrow Terminal 4|Terminal 4]] at [[Heathrow Airport]]|301x301px]]'''Air transport in the United Kingdom''' is the commercial carriage of passengers, freight and mail by aircraft, both within the United Kingdom (UK) and between the UK and the rest of the world. The demand for passenger air travel in particular is forecast to increase from the current{{when|date=June 2025}} level of 236{{nbsp}}million passengers to 465{{nbsp}}million in 2030.{{fact|date=June 2025}} One airport, [[Heathrow Airport]], is amongst the top ten [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|busiest airports in the world]]. More than half of all passengers travelling by air in the UK currently travel via one of the six London area airports. Outside London, [[Manchester Airport]] is by far the largest and busiest of the remaining airports, acting as a hub for the 20{{nbsp}}million or so people who live within a two-hour drive. Regional airports have achieved the most growth in recent years, due to the success of [[low-cost carrier]] airlines.

[[File:Heathrow LON 04 07 77.JPG|thumb|right|[[Heathrow Terminal 4|Terminal 4]] at [[Heathrow Airport]]|301x301px]]'''Air transport in the United Kingdom''' is the commercial carriage of passengers, freight and mail by aircraft, both within the United Kingdom (UK) and between the UK and the rest of the world. The demand for passenger air travel in particular is forecast to increase from the current{{when|date=June 2025}} level of 236{{nbsp}}million passengers to 465{{nbsp}}million in 2030.{{fact|date=June 2025}} [[Heathrow Airport]] ranks among the ten [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|busiest airports in the world]]. More than half of all passengers travelling by air in the UK currently travel via one of the six London area airports. Outside London, [[Manchester Airport]] is by far the largest and busiest of the remaining airports, acting as a hub for the 20{{nbsp}}million or so people who live within a two-hour drive. Regional airports have achieved the most growth in recent years, due to the success of [[low-cost carrier]] airlines.

In 2013,{{needs update|date=June 2025}} the UK had the third highest number of passengers carried of any country, behind only the [[United States]] and [[China]].<ref>World Bank Datebase, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.AIR.PSGR</ref>

In 2013,{{needs update|date=June 2025}} the UK had the third highest number of passengers carried of any country, behind only the [[United States]] and [[China]].<ref>World Bank Datebase, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.AIR.PSGR</ref>

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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033750/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_10_2_Domestic_Terminal_Pax_Traffic_2006.pdf

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033750/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_10_2_Domestic_Terminal_Pax_Traffic_2006.pdf

|archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_10_1_EU_and_Other_Intl_Pax_Traffic_2006.pdf |title=''CAA Statistics 2006 - EU and Other International Terminal Passenger Traffic 2006'' |access-date=3 October 2007 |publisher=[[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033718/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_10_1_EU_and_Other_Intl_Pax_Traffic_2006.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref> Of the latter, travel between the UK and Spain, France, Germany and [[Italy]] account for around half, with Spain almost matching the other three combined in terms of passenger numbers. Outside the EU, the US, the [[Far East]], [[Switzerland]] and the [[Middle East]] together account for just over half of all passengers flying between the UK and the rest of the world, with the USA exceeding the other three combined in terms of passenger numbers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_11_Intl_Pax_Traffic_to_from_UK_by_Country_1996_2006.pdf |title=''CAA Statistics 2006 - International Passenger Traffic to and from UK Reporting Airports (in Thousands) by Country 1996-2006'' |access-date=3 October 2007 |publisher=[[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033731/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_11_Intl_Pax_Traffic_to_from_UK_by_Country_1996_2006.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref> Air travel is the most popular mode of transport for visitors both to and from the UK. In 2005 it was used for 80 per cent of all visits by UK residents travelling overseas and by 74 per cent of all inbound visits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_transport/traveltrends2005.pdf |title=''Travel Trends – International Passenger Travel Survey 2005'' |access-date=3 October 2007 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |page=16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206093849/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_transport/traveltrends2005.pdf |archive-date=6 February 2007 }}</ref> Just over a quarter of all passengers are travelling on business.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/81/2006CAAPaxSurveyReport.pdf |title=''CAA Passenger Survey Report 2006'' |access-date=27 October 2007 |publisher=[[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority]] |pages=Table 4b, p18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033617/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/81/2006CAAPaxSurveyReport.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref> The advent of no-frills carriers has had significant a significant effect on passenger travel profiles, with strong growth in business travel from regional airports, and a significant increase in inbound traffic generated for the purposes of non-UK residents visiting friends and relatives based in the UK. Whilst these carriers have been perceived to democratise air travel, providing the opportunity for lower income groups to travel more often, the main result is actually that middle and higher income groups travel more often, and often for shorter trips.<ref>''No-Frills Carriers: Revolution or Evolution?'', Executive Summary pp.4–6 & ch.4, p.11, section 4.18</ref>

|archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_10_1_EU_and_Other_Intl_Pax_Traffic_2006.pdf |title=''CAA Statistics 2006 - EU and Other International Terminal Passenger Traffic 2006'' |access-date=3 October 2007 |publisher=[[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033718/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_10_1_EU_and_Other_Intl_Pax_Traffic_2006.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref> Of the latter, travel between the UK and Spain, France, Germany and [[Italy]] account for around half, with Spain almost matching the other three combined in terms of passenger numbers. Outside the EU, the US, the [[Far East]], [[Switzerland]] and the [[Middle East]] together account for just over half of all passengers flying between the UK and the rest of the world, with the USA exceeding the other three combined in terms of passenger numbers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_11_Intl_Pax_Traffic_to_from_UK_by_Country_1996_2006.pdf |title=''CAA Statistics 2006 - International Passenger Traffic to and from UK Reporting Airports (in Thousands) by Country 1996-2006'' |access-date=3 October 2007 |publisher=[[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033731/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2006Annual/Table_11_Intl_Pax_Traffic_to_from_UK_by_Country_1996_2006.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref> Air travel is the most popular mode of transport for travel to and from the UK. In 2005 it was used for 80 per cent of all visits by UK residents travelling overseas and by 74 per cent of all inbound visits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_transport/traveltrends2005.pdf |title=''Travel Trends – International Passenger Travel Survey 2005'' |access-date=3 October 2007 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |page=16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206093849/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_transport/traveltrends2005.pdf |archive-date=6 February 2007 }}</ref> Just over a quarter of all passengers are travelling on business.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/81/2006CAAPaxSurveyReport.pdf |title=''CAA Passenger Survey Report 2006'' |access-date=27 October 2007 |publisher=[[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority]] |pages=Table 4b, p18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033617/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/81/2006CAAPaxSurveyReport.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref> The advent of no-frills carriers has had a significant effect on passenger travel profiles, with strong growth in business travel from regional airports and more inbound trips by non-UK residents visiting friends and family. Whilst these carriers have been perceived to democratise air travel, providing the opportunity for lower income groups to travel more often, the main result is actually that middle and higher income groups travel more often, and often for shorter trips.<ref>''No-Frills Carriers: Revolution or Evolution?'', Executive Summary pp.4–6 & ch.4, p.11, section 4.18</ref>

The United Kingdom has a low usage for domestic (internal) flights, and after a high in 2005/06, has been in decline. In the year 2010/11 just 18.4{{nbsp}}million internal passengers were carried (compared with 1,352{{nbsp}}million rail journeys in the same period).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/tsgb0102.xls|format=xls|title= ''Table TSGB0102 Passenger journeys on public transport vehicles, annual from 1950''|access-date=5 August 2012|publisher= [[Department for Transport statistics]]}}</ref> Air's share of passengers has reduced significantly on certain key routes. For example, for London to Manchester, rail's market share (rail v. air passenger journeys) rose from 69% in 2008 to 79% in 2010; for Birmingham to Edinburgh, rail's market share rose from 14% in 2008 to 31% in 2010; and for London to Glasgow, rail's market share has risen from 12% in 2008 to 20% in 2010; although air still remains the leader on many London to Scotland journeys.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.atoc.org/media-centre/atoc-press-releases/2011/04/05/shift-from-air-to-rail-heralds-turning-point-in-how-people-travel-between-uks-main-cities-100571/|title= ''Shift from air to rail heralds 'turning point' in how people travel between UK's main cities''|access-date=5 August 2012|publisher= ATOC}}</ref>

The United Kingdom has a low usage for domestic (internal) flights, and after a high in 2005/06, has been in decline. In the year 2010/11 just 18.4{{nbsp}}million internal passengers were carried (compared with 1,352{{nbsp}}million rail journeys in the same period).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/tsgb0102.xls|format=xls|title= ''Table TSGB0102 Passenger journeys on public transport vehicles, annual from 1950''|access-date=5 August 2012|publisher= [[Department for Transport statistics]]}}</ref> Air's share of passengers has reduced significantly on certain key routes. For example, for London to Manchester, rail's market share (rail v. air passenger journeys) rose from 69% in 2008 to 79% in 2010; for Birmingham to Edinburgh, rail's market share rose from 14% in 2008 to 31% in 2010; and for London to Glasgow, rail's market share has risen from 12% in 2008 to 20% in 2010; although air still remains the leader on many London to Scotland journeys.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.atoc.org/media-centre/atoc-press-releases/2011/04/05/shift-from-air-to-rail-heralds-turning-point-in-how-people-travel-between-uks-main-cities-100571/|title= ''Shift from air to rail heralds 'turning point' in how people travel between UK's main cities''|access-date=5 August 2012|publisher= ATOC}}</ref>