UK airports are preparing for one of their busiest festive seasons on record, with millions of passengers expected to take to the skies over the Christmas and New Year period as demand for air travel continues to grow.
According to data from Cirium, the aviation analytics firm, between 19 December and 4 January a total of 42,046 departures are scheduled from UK airports, offering more than 7.8 million departing seats. This represents a 2% increase in flights compared with the same festive period in 2024, while seat capacity is up 4% year on year, highlighting the continued growth in passenger demand.
The busiest day of the festive period is forecast to be Friday 19 December, when 2,853 flights are due to depart UK airports. On that day alone, almost 520,000 seats will be available to passengers travelling for Christmas holidays, family visits and winter breaks.
Short-haul European routes dominate festive travel plans once again. The most popular international destinations for UK departures this Christmas season are Dublin, Amsterdam, Geneva, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Tenerife, reflecting strong demand for both city breaks and winter sun escapes.
Heathrow is expected to see the highest number of departures over the festive period, with 8,741 outbound flights scheduled. It is followed by Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Edinburgh, which together account for a significant proportion of the UK’s festive air traffic.
Individual airports are also preparing for peak days. The busiest days for major UK airports this festive season are projected to be:
- Heathrow – 19 December
- Gatwick – 21 December
- Manchester – 21 December
- Stansted – 19 December
- Birmingham – 22 December
- Luton – 19 December
- Edinburgh – 22 December
- Newcastle – 19 December
- Bristol – 19 December
Christmas Day itself continues to grow in popularity as a travel date. On 25 December 2025, 889 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports. Cirium data shows this is 10% higher than Christmas Day 2024 and 33% above pre-pandemic levels in 2019, pointing to a clear shift in passenger behaviour.
With sustained high demand expected throughout the festive period, airlines and airports are preparing for busy terminals and full flights, while passengers are advised to plan ahead, allow extra time and check travel updates before heading to the airport.