Record-breaking May for MAG

• A busy half-term and bank holiday period saw MAG reach a record high of 65m passengers in the 12 months to May 2025  
• Both Manchester and London Stansted delivered a record month of May  
• Operational performance remained strong during the busy period  
• MAG also marked the launch of MAG’s five-year Sustainability Strategy 

With the busy bank holiday period, May marked another record-breaking month for Manchester Airports Group. The group – which operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands – saw 6.1m passengers choosing its airports, an increase of 2.9% on last year.  

The rolling 12-month passenger total for the Group was 65.5m, up 5.3% year-on-year. 

Manchester Airport saw more than 2.9m passengers travelling through its terminals, which was a 5% increase on the same month last year and the 20^th consecutive record-breaking month for passenger numbers. The Northern gateway’s rolling 12-month passenger total was 31.5m, up 7.7%.  

At London Stansted, a record 2.7m passengers took advantage of the airport’s leading European network for their half-term getaway, up 0.8% year- on- year. The rolling 12-month passenger total was 29.9m, up 4% on 2024.  

East Midlands Airport served 447,000 passengers in May, up 2.7% on the same month last year with more passengers choosing the airport for an effortless half-term break. The rolling 12-month total stands at 4m passengers, a decrease of 2.8% year-on-year.  

Operational performance across the Group remained strong, with 99% of passengers passing  through security in 15 minutes or less.  

Cargo volumes across the Group increased in May. East Midlands reported the most significant growth with an increase of 9.7%, carrying more than 34,000 tonnes of cargo for the month. This increase came as the UK’s largest pure freight operation welcomed two new cargo operators, Atlas Air and Yun Express, both of which are operating services direct to China.  

Traffic figures for May came as MAG published its new five-year Sustainability Strategy; Creating a sustainable future for all. The strategy sets out clear and ambitious targets focused on decarbonisation, nature conservation and community engagement. Examples of these targets include transitioning to net zero carbon operations by 2038 and investing a minimum of £1.5m in local communities by 2030. To read the full strategy, please click here.  

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