The United Kingdom has over 40 commercial airports operating in full capacity. This number serves both local and international flights, with London accounting for six major airports. Mind you, there are still smaller airports like London City Airport, London Southend Airport, and RAF Northolt (which is restricted to government and military use only).
There’s absence of an accurate exact number of airports in the UK, as some sources place it at 1000 (including the ones in smaller regional fields and privately owned ones) we are making a list of the biggest airports from the over 40 ‘major’ airports in the UK, it’s features, and what makes it unique.
Note: this list was drawn from a 2024/2025 data.
What defines the size of an airport? What qualifies it as “the largest?” Some of them include:
Human traffic is the most significant criteria for judging the size of an airport. An airport without a significant number of human movements is like a non-EV without a driver: it barely moves. Statistically, there are over 240 million air travelers in the UK annually, with continuous significant growth happening there on an annual basis.
The number of footfalls at the airport determines how many terminals and runways an airport gets. While some airports operate on just one runway and few terminals, bigger ones have up to three to accommodate more travelers.
While some airports are solely built to serve either international or domestic flights, others are built with the capacity to handle both. Those airports built to serve dual purpose often have everything in excess: terminals, runways, waiting areas, and, of course, more space.
No airport becomes busy overnight; there’s always a propeller. The stronger the business ecosystem an area has, the busier its airport. Some of the determinants include the manufacturing and trade clusters, the operations of its financial hubs, and tourism demand.
The all-popular London Heathrow Airport sits on approximately 12.27 square kilometers (4.74 square miles) of land and has welcomed a little over 83.9 million passengers in 2024 alone: a 6% year-on-year. Dubbed the UK largest airport, this is the single biggest UK airport by passenger traffic and size. This not only qualifies it as the biggest airport in the UK, but the busiest and in the whole of Europe. It’s a gateway to over 180 destinations in over 90 countries.
This is considered one of the best airports in the United Kingdom. Located in West Sussex, barely 29 miles south of central London, this is the second largest airport in London, welcoming almost 43.2 million travelers in 2024 alone. Gatwick Airport measures 6.74 square kilometers (approx. 674 hectares) and is considered the second busiest airport, accounting for 43 million passengers in 2024.
This is the largest airport located outside of London, and one of the foremost UK international airports. Manchester Airport measures 1,400 acres and is located at Ringway, England. The airport recorded 30.9 million passengers in 2024, while serving as a main gateway for northern England. It comes with three passenger terminals, one cargo terminal, 55 aircraft movements per hour, and leads to over 200 destinations globally.
This is one of the UK’s major international airports, and it’s located 48 kilometers northeast of central London. London Stansted Airport covers approximately 8 square kilometers and serves over 180 destinations across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It welcomed 29.76 million passengers in 2024, and has been ranked the fourth busiest airport.
This is another international airport located 45 kilometers north of central London. It measures 8 square kilometers, with a 2,162 meters (7,093 feet) long single runway. It serves over 180 destinations across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The airport has records of over 16 million passengers annually, while recording 16.7 million in 2024 and 16.2 million in 2023. However, there has been an ongoing plan to accommodate 32 million passengers annually by 2043.
Located in Scotland, and also named Scotland’s busiest airport, is sitting on 12.27 square kilometers of land. It has two major runways, each measuring 2,560 meters. This airport serves as a destination point to over 150 countries, while recording over 15 million passengers in 2024 alone, making it the UK’s sixth busiest airport. The main runway measures 2,560m long, and is located 7 miles west of Edinburgh city center.
This airport serves as a major international gateway for UK residents, and sits on a 12.27 square kilometers space, which makes it strategic compared to others. It’s mostly used by residents in the Midlands and parts of Wales areas, serving over 13 million annually.
It’s located 8 miles southeast of Birmingham city center and has been ranked the seventh busiest airport in the UK. It serves as a direct route to the Middle East, Europe, South Asia, and on some occasions to North America. You are most likely to get popular airlines like TUI, Emirates, Ryanair, and Lufthansa, and have served as a long-distance connection outside London.
Glasgow Airport
This airport sits on 1,100 acres of land, with just one runway, measuring 2,665 meters in length.
This is one of Scotland’s major aviation hubs. It comfortably serves both domestic and international airlines and serves as a primary route to North America, London, and Europe. It is considered the UK hub for tourism and business travel. One won’t help but notice the strong presence of internationally acclaimed airlines like easyJet, British Airways, and Jet2. The Glasgow Airport is a major gateway for travelers to the Scottish Highlands, popular for its transatlantic and domestic connectivity routes.
Although smaller than the previously mentioned airports on the list, Bristol Airport is the UK’s fastest-growing regional airport. Measuring 540,000 square meters in size, Bristol Airport is strategically located for short-haul flights for European leisure travelers. It’s also popular for holiday passengers traveling to Greece, Portugal, and Italy. The airport is best known for its growing number of leisure travelers. It recorded 12 million passengers by mid-2025, and targets to reach 15 million travelers annually by 2030.
The airport is just a minute drive from Canary Wharf and is predominantly used by business travelers. It measures 60 hectares (150 acres), measuring 1,508 meters (4,948 feet) in length. Available records show it served 3.57 million passengers in 2024 – making it the fifth busiest airport in London. The airport is known for it’s fast checking security process, and the convenience in it’s serenity.
First, passengers must define the purpose behind their intended trip, which will be the primary guide behind every one of their travel decisions. In a situation where it’s a business trip, reliability, speed, and location should be prioritized. And this is where airports like London Heathrow Airport and London City Airport come in.
Passengers with the intention of holidaying should focus more on both pricing and destination variety. This is where airports with low-cost hubs like Stansted, Gatwick, and Luton should top the list. For long-distance travel, especially for international travelers, UK international airports with wide-body aircraft must be considered.
There’s no specified size an airport should be. It all depends on the serving population. The bigger the perceived users, the bigger it becomes. While Heathrow Airport remains the largest airport with over 83 million users annually, other smaller airports are built accordingly.
While bigger airports deal with more passengers’ problems on a very large scale, regional airports are quieter in operation. However, the difference isn’t really in terms of size, but the experience they give to the airport users, as well as its original purpose.
While larger airports provide bigger flight operations and offer more connectivity, smaller or regional airports offer more rigid flight operations. Larger airports offer more route connections, they cover more continents, multiple daily departures on popular routes, are home to world class airlines, and simultaneously serve long-haul and connecting flights.
Regional airports like Bristol Airport, Glasgow Airport, and Edinburgh Airport, although they serve long-haul routes, offer fewer connecting flights and more direct flights to specific locations. They are focused on delivering efficient routing, but with less global reach.
Passengers must prioritize comparing tickets from different airports since they differ; it’s also a good way to compare total travel costs, because sometimes, a ‘so-called ‘low-cost ticket can become more expensive overnight.
And since flight delays or early morning departure can happen, it’s important that passengers find out about the airport’s overnight stays. For passengers who are new to regional airports, understand that although it may be faster in security checks, shorter queues, quicker boarding, and less congestion, there are limits to the services due to challenges occasioned by limited infrastructure and limited connectivity.
Baggage fees differ according to airports; this is common among low-cost airlines. Finally, normalize using the top UK airport travel guide for more updated information on its airport activities.