The UK aviation sector grew to match pre-pandemic figures with 141 million people passing through UK airports in the first half of the year.
A new high of 81 million passengers took flights in the three months to June, ahead of a record-breaking summer which will see numbers increase further, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
The Covid-19 pandemic saw the biggest reduction in flyers of any event in aviation’s over 100-year history. Passenger numbers have grown steadily since, with the latest quarterly figures showing a 3% increase over the same period last year.
The sector also showed an improved punctuality performance in the pre-peak summer quarter with fewer delays at airports. Three-quarters of flights operated on-time, 8 percentage points up on 2024.
April saw a “particularly strong” performance with 82% of flights departing on schedule, the aviation regulator’s latest aviation trends report revealed.
Loganair achieved to top rate of punctuality in the April to June period with 86% of flights on time within 15 minutes, followed by Virgin Atlantic, Eurowings and British Airways.
However, Tui Airways was ranked second bottom with a 60% on time record, below rival Jet2.com at 69% and Ryanair at 71%. The worst performer was Channel Islands carrier Blue Islands, the report showed.
Aberdeen was the best performing airport with an 86% level of on-time arrivals and departures, while Birmingham was bottom of the table at 67%, just below Manchester and Bournemouth.
Airports across the north of England saw especially high growth in terminal passengers, with nearly 750,000 additional passengers passing through Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Leeds Bradford airports alone.
The overall most popular international destinations were in Europe, with Dublin, Amsterdam, Palma and Alicante topping the list.
CAA consumers and markets group director Selina Chadha said: “Aviation is experiencing strong growth, with record passenger numbers as millions take to the skies this summer.
“Reliable, on-time flights remain a priority, and it’s encouraging that delays are falling year-on-year.
“These numbers are a great achievement and we continue to work across the sector to drive ever higher standards.”
Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade added: “These trends demonstrate the strength of aviation as a growth engine for the UK, boosting the regions and supporting our companies, all whilst delivering improved service standards.
“The sector will continue to prioritise passengers and freight customers and looks forward to working with government to build on this momentum, so we can secure the future of aviation, the jobs it delivers and the world-class connectivity it provides.”