More than 61 million passengers travelled through UK airports in the first three months of the year, breaking previous records for travel between January and March
This period includes the initial time after the conflict in the Middle East began, impacting passengers in some regions.
The data, released by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, shows holidaymakers heading off towards sunnier European destinations, with the number of passengers travelling to Madrid and Las Palmas increasing by 14% and 11% respectively.
The airports that recorded the largest proportional growth in passengers include London Southend (247%), Cardiff (24%), Bournemouth (14%), and Newcastle (9%).
The most popular destinations in the first three months of 2026 for British holidaymakers were Dublin, Amsterdam, Geneva, Tenerife and Dubai.
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 the 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.”
