Record-breaking 2025 for MAG

• UK’s largest airports group served 66m passengers in 2025 – its busiest ever year
• 4.8m passengers chose a MAG airport for their festive breaks in December
• Manchester and London Stansted continue to welcome record passenger numbers
• MAG continued to invest in its infrastructure for growth during 2025 

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) served 66m passengers across 2025 – the highest 12-month passenger total in the Group’s history. That was 2.2% higher than in 2024. 

The year was rounded-off with a bumper December for MAG - which operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports. During the month, the three airports served 4.8m during the festive period, an increase of 3.9% year-on-year.  

Manchester Airport welcomed 2.4m passengers through its terminals in December, a 5.9% increase year-on-year.  The airport’s rolling 12-month total was 32.1m passengers, an increase of 4.2% compared to the same period in 2024.  

London Stansted marked its busiest year on record, serving 30m passengers across 2025, the first time it has hit that milestone. That was a 0.9% increase year-on-year. Across December 2.3m passengers flew out of the London airport, a 1.6% increase year-on-year.  

In December, Stansted secured planning approval to increase its passenger limit from 43m to 51m per year. This lays the foundations for the long-term sustainable growth of the airport, allowing it to maximise the full potential of its existing runway capacity - without the need for additional flights. The expansion of the airport will provide widespread social and economic benefits, with the potential for Stansted’s economic contribution to double to £2bn per year once complete.  

East Midlands Airport served more than 166,000 passengers during the month of December, a 6.3% increase year-on-year. The airport saw a rolling 12-month total of 4m passengers, a slight decrease of 4.3% year-on-year. The airport’s cargo operation saw volume increase significantly in December – carrying more than 37,000 tonnes of freight across the month - an increase of 37.1% year-on-year.  

December saw strong operational performance across all three airports, with 99% of passengers at London Stansted and East Midlands passing through security in 15 minutes or less. The figure at Manchester Airport was 98%.  

Over the course of 2025, MAG continued to invest heavily in its infrastructure for growth. That included major progress on its £1.3bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme. A series of key milestones were reached, with the programme set to conclude in the coming months. It has seen Terminal 2 more than double in size, unlocking the capacity of its existing two runways.  

Ken O’Toole, MAG CEO said: 

“Last year was an historic one for MAG. 

“Record passenger numbers were driven by exciting additions to MAG’s extensive route network. That included the first ever direct links to Mumbai and Delhi from Manchester and many more unique destinations at London Stansted and East Midlands, providing passengers with value and choice across all three of our airports.  

“MAG is the UK’s largest airports group, and we are proud to say one in five UK air passengers use one of our airports.  

“That is why we are investing in the future, to drive economic growth and provide even more choice to passengers in the North, South and Midlands. As the UK’s largest investor in infrastructure outside London, we are set to conclude our historic transformation of Manchester Airport and to progress with significant investment programmes across our group starting this year.” 

Passengers:  

Cargo: