It’s a familiar sense of panic for any avid traveller. You arrive at the airport, suitcases clack-clacking behind you, smiles on faces, until you get a first glimpse of those dreaded baggage and security queues. Off-peak travel is the best way to avoid a great deal of travel chaos, but for many reasons, this is a luxury not all of us can choose. As the summer holidays come around again and families set off, we take a look at the busiest and quietest airports in the UK.
Unsurprisingly, many of the UK’s busiest airports are in and around London. As the main gateway to the country for many international travellers, the number of passengers passing through these terminals is pretty mind-blowing. However, cast your eye elsewhere, and you could be heading on an exotic escape from a surprising travel hub.
The busiest airports in the UK
5. London Luton - 13,322,000
The UK’s fifth busiest airport is a favourite for those last-minute city breaks. Admittedly, it’s often not the most accessible transport hub – get stuck here late at night without an onward plan, and you could face a hefty taxi fare back to the capital – but cheap flights mean it’s a popular choice nonetheless. It’s little surprise, then, that more than 13 million travellers passed through Luton in 2022. Look to Luton for those underrated city breaks, such as a weekend trip to Lublin or Poznan in Poland or an escape to Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana.
4. London Stansted - 23,319,523
London’s third major airport is comparable – in passenger numbers, at least – to Manchester, which pips this Essex(ish) travel hub to the post. But Stansted could give busier London airports a run for their money if plans go ahead. Airport bosses recently announced a planning application for terminal expansion, including three aircraft bays, a larger security hall and departure lounge, and more baggage capacity. Exciting new routes have also been announced, including AnadoluJet’s direct flights between London Stansted and the Turkish capital Ankara.
3. Manchester - 23,369,770
Manchester is the only airport outside London to appear in the busiest five, welcoming just a few thousand more travellers than Stansted last year. The airport’s extensive scale and exceptional amenities enable it to cater to a greater number of long-haul flights, meaning it’s the best alternative to Heathrow for lovers of tropical escapes and winter sun. Since the start of 2023, post-Covid confidence in Manchester Airport has returned, and direct flights to mainland China, Las Vegas, and Cairo have resumed.
2. London Gatwick – 32,839,000
Gatwick sits solidly in second place. Manchester is unlikely to threaten this Sussex transport hub’s ranking anytime soon as. That said, 47 airlines service Gatwick, flying to 165 destinations. It’s a popular lift-off point for short-haul business travellers thanks to British Airways’ business class offering and multiple lounges, while the hub is increasingly attracting long-haul travellers with recently added routes to destinations such as Aruba, Cape Town, and Vancouver.
1. London Heathrow - 61,599,196
It is no surprise to the avid traveller that London Heathrow is the busiest airport in the UK. Queen Elizabeth II opened the central terminal room in 1955, and the terminals have had their fair share of involvement in some pop culture moments – the Love Actually opening montage may come to mind, or Bend It Like Beckham snippets, perhaps. Hilton, Premier Inn, Sofitel, and Radisson Blu are just a few of the hotels within easy reach of Heathrow’s terminals, which fill up with business travellers catching transatlantic red-eyes and connecting passengers catching some shut-eye.
The quietest airports in the UK
5. Bournemouth - 693,798
Bournemouth services a handful of cities but is far enough away from major metropolitan hubs to handle well under a million passengers a year. Three airlines service the airport, flying to destinations including a handful of Portuguese, Greek, and Spanish cities.
4. Norwich - 528,153
Just over half a million people passed through Norwich Airport in 2022, making it the fourth-quietest in Britain. There’s an executive lounge for business travellers, a bakery for picking up pre-plane snacks, a retail store and a World Duty Free outlet. Soak up the relative peace during off-peak times before heading on a flight to somewhere like Ibiza, Crete, or Menorca.
3. Newquay/Cornwall - 461,148
It’s possible to fly to 19 destinations with nine airline partners from Newquay Airport – the largest aviation hub in Cornwall. This includes seven international destinations, while most of the routes connect Cornwall to other areas of the UK and Ireland, making the best beaches in Cornwall easier to reach for Londoners, Geordies and Dubliners than ever. While nothing beats a leisurely train journey from the capital, in our opinion (it also causes a lighter carbon footprint), these regular summer flights are undeniably ideal for time-poor business travellers, especially when connecting.
2. Humberside - 261,132
Humberside’s North Lincolnshire location is ideal for Grimsby, Hull and Scunthorpe residents searching for their next break. As the UK’s second-quietest airport, there are a limited number of destinations on offer, but before your flight jets down to Newquay or towards European cities such as Amsterdam and Palma, expect to whizz through those security lines in a way Heathrow passengers could only dream of.
1. Kirkwall - 177,248
Kirkwall is the quietest airport in the UK. Loganair is the only airline to service this airstrip on the Orkney Islands regularly. Flights operate to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and Sumburgh. As of February 2023, the airport café is no longer open, but hot and cold drinks and snacks are available from vending machines.