MAG welcomes record 7.1m passengers in August

·       Serving 7.1m passengers across a month marks a new milestone for MAG

·       Record figures driven by growth at both Manchester and London Stansted Airports

·       Operational performance remained strong in the peak summer holiday month

The UK’s largest airports group served more than 7 million passengers for the first time in its history last month.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) – which owns Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands Airports – hit the milestone by growing year-on-year volumes 1.9% during August.

That also took the Group’s rolling 12-month passenger total to 65.7m passengers, an increase of 3.7% on 2024.

MAG’s performance was driven by Manchester and London Stansted both delivering record months in August.

Manchester served 3.5m passengers - up 3.5% year-on-year. It also recorded its busiest ever day on 17 August, when more than 117,000 passengers passed through the Northern gateway. Manchester’s rolling 12-month passenger total stands at 31.8m, up 6.2% on the same period last year.

London Stansted saw 3.1m passengers jet off across the month, an increase of 0.6% on August 2024. The airport’s rolling 12-month passenger figures stands at 29.9m, an increase of 2.4% year-on-year.

Across August, more than 500,000 passengers choose East Midlands Airport for their summer holidays, with its rolling 12-month passenger total at 4m passengers.  Home to the UK’s largest pure freight operation, cargo volume at the airport increased by 5.6% year-on-year, handling more than 34,000 tonnes over the month.

MAG CEO Ken O’Toole said:

“Serving more than 7m passengers in a single month for the first time in our history, underlines the strength of choice and value we offer our passengers through our extensive global route networks.

“It reinforces the vital role MAG - and the wider aviation industry - plays in connecting people and businesses with the world, while driving economic growth in all parts of the UK.

“As the largest investor in transport infrastructure outside London, we will invest more than £2.5bn over the next five years, creating jobs and unlocking more value for the regions we serve. That, in turn, will provide even more choice to passengers up and down the country using our airports."

At the height of the busy summer period, operational performance across the Group was strong. Across the Group, 99% of passengers passed through security in 15 minutes or less.

Passengers:

Cargo: