- Latest aviation trends data shows UK aviation had the highest ever passenger numbers in the first quarter of 2026.
- One million more passengers flew through UK airports in Q1 2026 compared with the same period last year.
- This growth was largely driven by short-haul European flights, with over one million additional passengers travelling to Western Europe.
New UK Civil Aviation Authority data released today shows more than 61 million passengers travelled through UK airports in the first three months of this year, breaking previous records for travel between January and March.
This period includes the initial period after the Middle East conflict started, impacting passengers in some regions.
Andrew McConnell, spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said:
“This strong start to the year shows just how high demand for flying remains, particularly to popular European destinations.
“Even in a more challenging time for aviation, services are continuing to operate reliably and passengers are travelling in strong numbers, with that momentum set to build towards the summer peak.”
The data from the start of the years shows trends of holidaymakers heading off towards sunnier European destinations, with the number of passengers travelling to Madrid and Las Palmas increasing by 14% and 11% respectively.
Other findings from the quarterly data included:
- Some of the airports with the largest proportional growth in passenger numbers included London Southend (+247%), Cardiff (+24%), Bournemouth (+14%) and Newcastle (+9%).
- The most popular destinations in Q1 2026 were Dublin, Amsterdam, Geneva, Tenerife and Dubai.
Notes to Editors:
- The full data set can be found at: https://www.caa.co.uk/data-and-analysis/uk-aviation-market/airports/aviation-trends/
- CAA spokespeople are available for broadcast interviews upon request.
- The UK Civil Aviation Authority is the UK’s aviation and aerospace regulator. We work so that the aviation industry meets the highest safety standards and consumers have choice and are protected and treated fairly when they fly. Our mission statement is ‘Protecting people, enabling aerospace.’