According to Cirium data, Q3 2024 saw unprecedented flight activity from UK airports, with 282,775 departures translating to more than 51.24 million available seats, the highest ever recorded for the UK and surpassing pre-pandemic peak levels from 2019.
The trend reflects airlines’ use of larger aircraft and higher seat density configurations on UK routes.
Dubai ranked as the top destination, with 10,508 flights and 1.5 million seats. Amsterdam followed, with Mallorca, Alicante, and Malaga rounding out the top five.
Heathrow to New York JFK proved the most popular single route, offering 2,019 flights and over 500,000 seats.
The busiest airlines were easyJet, with 57,527 flights, British Airways with 46,296, and Ryanair with 41,099.
In total, Q3 marked the UK’s busiest quarter in 2024, following 208,546 flights in Q1 and 264,158 in Q2.
With Q4 flights estimated to reach 236,002, 2024 is shaping up as a historic year for UK aviation.
