October Sees Growth Across MAG Airports Amid Changing Travel Demand at Heathrow

October delivered a positive passenger performance across Manchester Airports Group (MAG), with all three of its airports recording year-on-year growth, while Heathrow’s latest figures highlighted the continued impact of changing international travel patterns, particularly across the Middle East.

MAG handled more than 6.1 million passengers during October, an increase of 3% compared with the same month last year. The group, which operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, also recorded a rolling 12-month passenger total of 67.6 million, up 2.7%.

London Stansted recorded the strongest percentage growth of the three airports, handling 2,792,227 passengers during October, up 4.2% year on year. The airport also recorded its busiest day on record on Sunday 25 October, when 109,881 passengers travelled through its terminal.

Manchester Airport welcomed 2,933,460 passengers during the month, an increase of 2.1% compared with October 2025. The airport said October was its busiest October on record, with more than one million passengers travelling during the half-term period.

Holiday destinations including Alicante, Tenerife, Mallorca and Antalya remained popular, while Manchester also reported growing demand for longer-haul and connecting journeys through destinations such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

East Midlands Airport handled 400,407 passengers, representing growth of 1.8% year on year. Its rolling 12-month passenger total reached just over 4.07 million, up 3.5%.

MAG also reported strong security performance across its airports during the busy half-term period. All passengers at Stansted and East Midlands passed through security within 15 minutes, while the figure at Manchester was 96%.

Heathrow, meanwhile, handled 7.296 million passengers during October, a 1% decrease compared with the same month last year. Its figures show a particularly significant reduction in traffic to and from the Middle East, where passenger numbers fell by 21% to 563,000.

The impact was also visible across the year to date, with Heathrow reporting a 23% decline in Middle East passenger traffic between January and October.

Other international markets recorded growth. Passenger traffic to Asia-Pacific destinations increased by 7.5% during October, while North American traffic rose by 1.1%. Non-EU European traffic was also up 5.2%.

Despite the reduction in passenger numbers, Heathrow reported a 5.8% increase in cargo volumes during October, with 145,137 tonnes handled across the airport.

The latest figures underline how different factors are shaping demand across the UK airport network.

October’s school holiday period supported growth at MAG’s airports, while Heathrow’s figures reflect the changing picture across some of its important long-haul markets amid continued disruption and uncertainty in the Middle East.