East Midlands Tops CAA Airport Ratings for 2025

East Midlands Airport has received the highest passenger rating in the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) 2025 Departing Passenger Survey, scoring 9.20 out of 10 and finishing ahead of London City, Heathrow and several of the UK’s busiest airports.

London City Airport came second with 9.04, followed by Heathrow on 8.53 and Birmingham on 8.50. Luton recorded the lowest score among the eight airports surveyed, at 7.77.

The CAA’s annual survey examines passenger satisfaction, travel habits and airport access.

Around 175,000 departing passenger interviews were conducted across Birmingham, East Midlands, Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester and Stansted.

Together, these airports handled approximately 225 million passengers in 2025, up 2% from the previous year. Despite the increase in traffic, average passenger satisfaction also edged upwards, rising from 8.36 out of 10 in 2024 to 8.39 in 2025.

The survey highlights differences in how passengers reach the airport.

Public transport accounted for 38% of journeys, up from 37% a year earlier, while cars and taxis continued to account for the majority.

London City had the highest public transport share at 66%, followed by Stansted at 48% and Gatwick at 44%. East Midlands recorded the lowest proportion, at just 10%, with Manchester and Birmingham also relying more heavily on private transport.

Leisure travel remained the main reason for flying. Holidays accounted for 54% of passengers, while 33% were visiting friends and relatives. Business travel made up the remaining 13%, meaning personal trips accounted for 87% of those surveyed.

Business travel varied considerably between airports. At London City, 40% of passengers were travelling for business, reflecting its different passenger profile compared with airports more heavily focused on leisure travel.

International journeys dominated the survey, accounting for 94% of passengers, compared with 6% travelling domestically.

Foreign residents made up 30% of passengers overall, although this varied significantly between airports, reaching 50% at Heathrow and just 7% at East Midlands.

The CAA also examined connecting passengers. Around 78% were travelling directly to their destination rather than connecting through another airport, while the remainder were connecting at the surveyed airport, continuing their journey after their flight, or doing both.

The results offer an insight into how passengers rate airports and how their travel habits differ across England. East Midlands led the satisfaction rankings, while London City stood out for public transport use and business travel.

The survey covers eight English airports, so the results do not represent every major airport across the UK.

Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority, 2025 Departing Passenger Survey. https://www.caa.co.uk/media/novoyyss/caa_survey_dashboard_2025-2.pdf