CAA data shows 2012 air passenger numbers at UK airports up very slightly on 2011 and still 8% below 2007 peak

The CAA has released data for all the UK’s airports for 2012. There were 0.6% more air passengers in 2012 than in 2011, but  the 2012 figure was still about 8% lower than the peak in 2007. The number of UK air passengers was up by 1.3 million for the London airports, but only up by 0.1 million for the regional airports. UK airports handled  almost 221 million passengers during 2012. Heathrow had slightly more passengers, due to use of larger planes.  Gatwick grew faster  than Heathrow (passengers up by 1.7% and 0.9% respectively) while Stansted had a fall of  -3.2%.  Provisional data from the CAA’s 2012 Passenger Survey (covering 5 main airports) shows that business passenger numbers fell by 4%, holiday passengers grew by 4% and passengers travelling to visit friends and relatives (VFR) were flat compared to 2011. Most UK air passengers go to Europe – 59.7%. About 9.2% go to North America; about 9% are on domestic flights, and about 13.9% are to long haul destinations other than North America. During 2012, air transport movements at UK airports declined by -1.3% on 2011 and down 15% on the 2007 peak of 2.5 million.  Table showing figures below.

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Passenger numbers at UK airports up 1.4 million, but still below 2007 peak

18 March 2013  (CAA)

• UK airports handled 1.4 million (0.6%) more passengers in 2012 than 2011
• London airports grew by 1.3 million and regional airports by 0.1 million 
• Overall passenger numbers are still 8% below the peak reached in 2007
UK airports handled 221 million passengers during 2012 according to figures published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), an increase of 0.6% (1.4 million) on 2011.
This growth continues the recovery started in 2011 following three consecutive years of falling passenger numbers at UK airports. However, passenger numbers for 2012 were still 8% below 2007’s peak of almost 240 million passengers and business passengers using the UK’s airports fell by 4%.
Iain Osborne, Director of Regulatory Policy at the CAA, said:”Whilst our statistics show aviation performance in the UK continues to recover, the overall picture means passenger numbers in the UK are still some way short of their 2007 peak.“There are still significant challenges ahead for the aviation industry. The economic climate, capacity and the environment are all issues that the industry must overcome to ensure it continues to offer passengers choice, value and high service standards.”
Passenger numbers at London airports rose proportionately more than those at regional airports:
At the London airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend – the increase was 1% to 135 million passengers. Heathrow handled its highest ever annual total of 70 million passengers, 0.9% more than in 2011. Passenger numbers grew by 1.7% at Gatwick, 1.1% at Luton and 0.8% at London City, but Stansted saw a fall in passenger numbers (-3.2%) to 17.5 million. Southend grew substantially from 42 thousand passengers to 617 thousand passengers in the year.
• At airports outside London traffic rose by 0.1% to 85.7 million passengers. Manchester saw the largest rise in terms of passenger numbers, with an increase of 847 thousand (4.5%) up to 19.7 million. Conversely, Liverpool registered the biggest absolute loss in passengers of 788 thousand (15%) to 4.5 million.
Passenger types
Provisional data from the CAA’s 2012 Passenger Survey (covering Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham and East Midlands), shows that business passenger numbers fell by 4%, holiday passengers grew by 4% and passengers travelling to visit friends and relatives (VFR) were flat compared to 2011. In 2012 inbound passenger segments – those passengers not resident in the UK – performed better than outbound ones: outbound business passengers fell by 8.1% whereas inbound business fell by 0.4%; inbound holiday grew by 7.9% versus 2.3% on outbound holiday; outbound VFR fell by 3.9% whereas inbound VFR grew by 4.4%.
Destinations
The majority of UK airport passengers (132 million out of 221 million) [59.7% to Europe] were bound for, or arriving from, Europe – representing an increase of 1% from 2011.
Within this, the largest increase was in the number of passengers travelling to and from Italy (up by 0.6 million, an increase of 6%), while the largest fall in passengers travelling to and from an individual European country was Ireland, where numbers fell by 2% (0.2 million).
Whilst there was a 1.9% (0.4 million) increase in passengers going to and from North America (up to 20.4 million in 2012), [ 9.2% to North America] passengers travelling to and from international destinations outside Europe and North America totalled 30.7 million [13.9%] in 2012, a fall of 0.4% on 2011.
Within this however, passengers travelling to mainland China increased by 83 thousand – a rise of 13% up to a total of 746 thousand passengers for 2012.In 2012, 20 million [9% domestic] passengers took UK domestic flights, representing a fall of 0.7% on 2011.
Airlines
A continuing trend from previous years is the decline in passenger numbers on charter flights, a drop of 7.9% (1.7 million) to 20.4 million in 2012 compared with 2011.
This contrasts with the increase of 1.5% in passengers onboard scheduled flights.  57% (114 million) of scheduled passengers at UK airports travelled on UK airlines, 27% (55 million) travelled on other EU airlines, and 31 million on non-EU airlines.
Between 2011 and 2012, scheduled passengers carried by UK airlines to and from the UK grew by 2.9% (3.3 million), whereas other EU airlines carried 1.0% (0.5 million) fewer scheduled passengers.
Non-EU airlines’ scheduled passengers increased by 1.3% (0.4 million).
Flights and Cargo
During 2012, air transport movements (landings and take-offs of commercial aircraft) at UK airports totalled 2.1 million, a decrease of 1.3% on 2011 and down 15% on the 2007 peak of 2.5 million.
The total tonnage of freight and mail carried from UK airports in 2012 was 2.5 million tonnes, an increase of 0.4% on 2011.
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For more information contact the CAA press office on: 020 7453 6030.
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You can follow the CAA on Twitter at @UK_CAA
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Notes to Editors
1. All the statistics above refer to UK airports and do not include the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, although these airports are still considered to be domestic destinations. Data on these airports is available, alongside a comprehensive range of aviation data, fromwww.caa.co.uk/statistics. Airport Statistics data is available from www.caa.couk/airportstatistics..
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2. Alternatively, copies of the data tables may be purchased on CDROM priced £25.00 + VAT, by contacting: CAA Aviation Intelligence, CAA House, 45-59 Kingsway, London WC2B 6TE, telephone 020 7453 6245.
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3. The CAA also produces Aviation Trends (www.caa.co.uk/aviationtrends), which provides a quarterly update of key figures summarising the level of activity at the UK’s airports. Each edition also includes a section entitled ‘Did you know?’ which aims to present interesting facts derived from the various data sources available to the CAA.
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4. The CAA is the UK’s specialist aviation regulator. Its activities include: making sure that the aviation industry meets the highest technical and operational safety standards; preventing holidaymakers from being stranded abroad or losing money because of tour operator insolvency; planning and regulating all UK airspace; and regulating airports, air traffic services and airlines and providing advice on aviation policy from an economic standpoint.
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200720082009201020112012% change 2012 cf. 2011 
Total for all UK reporting airports (terminal passengers, millions)239,970235,361218,126210,656219,289220,6441
Airport by airport, terminal passengers
HEATHROW   67,852,387  66,906,954   65,906,641  65,745,250           69,390,591   69,983,139        0.85
GATWICK   35,165,404  34,162,014   32,360,773  31,342,263  33,643,989  34,218,6681.71
MANCHESTER   21,891,723  21,062,749   18,630,394  17,662,699  18,806,655  19,654,1004.51
STANSTED   23,759,250  22,340,375   19,949,689  18,561,598  18,047,403  17,464,792-3.23
LUTON    9,919,361  10,173,902     9,115,327   8,733,837   9,509,915   9,614,1751.10
EDINBURGH    9,037,200    8,992,178     9,043,452   8,594,449   9,383,695   9,194,334-2.02
BIRMINGHAM    9,134,055    9,576,700     9,093,201   8,563,505   8,608,192   8,916,2093.58
GLASGOW    8,726,013    8,135,260     7,213,397   6,521,765   6,858,268   7,150,0954.26
BRISTOL    5,883,856    6,228,656     5,615,200   5,723,182   5,767,628   5,916,2582.58
LIVERPOOL     5,463,234    5,329,826     4,879,468   5,007,944   5,246,540   4,458,500-15.02
NEWCASTLE    5,623,607    5,016,640     4,568,619   4,345,952   4,336,304   4,354,6480.42
BELFAST INTERNAT    5,236,055    5,222,839     4,536,498   4,010,972   4,101,914   4,312,4415.13
EAST MIDLANDS     5,406,504    5,616,278     4,652,691   4,110,529   4,208,402   4,067,915-3.34
ABERDEEN    3,411,140    3,290,236     2,983,793   2,763,491   3,082,575   3,328,5337.98
LONDON CITY    2,912,123    3,260,225     2,796,890   2,780,582   2,992,847   3,016,6640.80
LEEDS BRADFORD    2,859,858    2,860,447     2,552,597   2,723,833   2,936,988   2,968,7001.08
BELFAST CITY     2,186,867    2,570,741     2,621,733   2,740,305   2,397,270   2,246,202-6.30
SOUTHAMPTON    1,965,422    1,945,767     1,789,443   1,733,553   1,761,961   1,693,350-3.89
JERSEY    1,546,019    1,591,032     1,460,972   1,428,798   1,460,911   1,441,671-1.32
PRESTWICK    2,420,709    2,414,019     1,817,286   1,659,946   1,295,512   1,066,917-17.65
CARDIFF WALES    2,093,507    1,978,719     1,624,730   1,397,864   1,208,268   1,013,386-16.13
GUERNSEY       886,751      914,742        902,040      885,945      899,857     862,330-4.17
ISLE OF MAN       753,359      754,387        707,506      674,483      700,547     695,610-0.70
EXETER    1,012,493      951,265        789,733      736,680      709,314     694,963-2.02
DONCASTER SH’LD    1,074,373      967,801        834,636      875,605      821,615     693,129-15.64
BOURNEMOUTH    1,083,379    1,078,941        868,445      749,790      612,547     689,75512.60
SOUTHEND         49,311        44,075           3,948          3,583        42,439     616,9741353.79
INVERNESS       697,480      670,752        583,374      528,447      579,123     601,5503.87
CITY OF DERRY       427,586      438,996        345,857      338,505      405,568     398,209-1.81
NORWICH       699,359      582,973        429,542      425,662      413,837     396,646-4.15
SCATSTA       252,894      243,041        269,754      279,442      288,225     304,4265.62
BLACKPOOL       557,636      439,199        276,860      235,340      235,682     235,191-0.21
HUMBERSIDE       465,872      424,402        335,149      282,583      273,096     233,589-14.47
NEWQUAY       352,548      430,893        347,036      285,271      209,574     166,272-20.66
DURHAM TEES VALLEY       734,849      646,741        288,296      224,673      190,284     164,826-13.38
SUMBURGH       146,960      154,011        139,146      139,171      142,615     148,8614.38
KIRKWALL       131,903      137,616        138,383      129,022      133,930     132,235-1.27
STORNOWAY       126,203      130,888        122,475      112,226      122,439     115,860-5.37
ISLES OF SCILLY (St Mary)       130,778      122,863        118,695      113,365      112,218       97,012-13.55
ALDERNEY         79,087        77,104         74,835        70,012        69,546       64,165-7.74
PENZANCE HELIPORT       115,998        98,360         85,911        89,469        75,206       61,747-17.90
DUNDEE         65,419        60,929         72,466        70,360        61,648       54,642-11.36
LANDS END          28,278        26,341         34,442        29,509        33,098       31,964-3.43
BENBECULA         34,992        33,595         32,692        30,023        34,240       30,849-9.90
WICK JOHN O GROATS         20,784        23,430         21,460        22,299        24,262       24,9202.71
ISLES OF SCILLY (Tresco)         40,730        37,009         32,043        32,113        40,628       24,175-40.50
ISLAY         28,406        29,136         26,285        24,946        25,784       21,230-17.66
GLOUCESTERSHIRE           5,324        19,830         20,220        16,238        14,737       15,2453.45
BARRA         10,415        10,705         10,182        10,192        10,482       11,4148.89
CAMPBELTOWN           8,901          9,090           9,389          8,682         9,201         8,689-5.56
MANSTON          15,556        11,625           5,335        25,692        37,169         8,262-77.77
TIREE           7,807          8,419           8,202          7,859         8,310         7,317-11.95
OXFORD            1,297          2,186         1,491         6,577341.11
LERWICK            5,059          4,854           4,709          4,609         5,181         5,041-2.70
CAMBRIDGE           2,151          1,854           1,307            916            597         2,130256.78
SHOREHAM           8,026          5,041           1,213            866            634            480-24.29
LYDD           2,696          1,673              588            485            496            445-10.28
COVENTRY       598,916      331,022              167              –              –
BIGGIN HILL
CARLISLE
HAWARDEN
PLYMOUTH         78,156        98,918        115,254        96,498        28,834
SWANSEA
BARROW-IN-FURNESS
SHEFFIELD CITY