What is the third largest airport in the UK?

Manchester Airport The Manchester Airport also ranks as the third-largest airport in London.



As of early 2026, Manchester Airport (MAN) firmly holds its position as the third largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom, trailing only London Heathrow and London Gatwick. In the 2025 reporting year, Manchester served approximately 28–30 million passengers, a record high for the facility. It serves as the primary global gateway for the North of England, offering extensive long-haul connections to the US, Middle East, and Asia. Interestingly, in late 2025, London Stansted (STN) saw a massive surge in traffic, briefly challenging Manchester's spot during peak holiday seasons. However, with the completion of Manchester’s "Transformation Programme" in early 2026, which expanded Terminal 2 into a world-class "Super Terminal," the airport has solidified its "Bronze Medal" status in the UK aviation rankings.

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Manchester Airport The Manchester Airport also ranks as the third-largest airport in London.

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Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — Dallas, Texas. Situated in the Texas prairie between the major cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, DFW airport, the third largest airport in the world, may be quite familiar to American Airlines passengers.

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For a list ranked by volume of traffic, see Busiest airports in the United Kingdom by total passenger traffic.
  • East Midlands.
  • Luton.
  • Norwich.
  • Southend.
  • Stansted.
  • Heathrow.
  • City.
  • Teesside.


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'London's largest airport, Heathrow, is hemmed in by the suburbs and limited to just two runways,' he explains. 'Because it can't expand, the demand for air travel is met by smaller, single-runway airports around the South-East: Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Southend.

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Colonsay Airport, run by Argyll and Bute Council with flights operated by Hebridean Air Services, recorded just 49 passengers in 2020, the year Covid-19 and lockdowns hit, the video reported.

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According to new data, the title has recently been reclaimed by London's Heathrow Airport. Having processed over 3.6 million passengers in September, Heathrow is now officially busier than the likes of Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt am Main International.

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1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (45.4 million) Located 10 miles from downtown Atlanta, Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is a massive domestic and international hub for air travel—especially for those traveling with Delta Air Lines and its partners.

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Heathrow is larger and has better links in and out of the airport to Central London. Heathrow has five terminals and four runways. Meanwhile, Gatwick has two terminals and two runways. Heathrow is nearer to Central London.

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London Heathrow (LHR) is the busiest airport in the UK, handling almost twice the number of passengers as the next entry on the list.

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1. Heathrow (LHR) Heathrow Airport, London's main hub, is also one of the world's busiest airports, with 80.1 million passengers coming through in 2018. Spread across five terminals and just 14 miles west of central London, it's the easiest airport for getting into town.

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London Croydon Airport was Britain's first major international airport. It played a major role in the development of global air travel after World War One and has a significant place in early 20th century British history.

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Farnborough Airport (FAB): Positioned about 35 miles southwest of central London, Farnborough is a coveted choice for private jet passengers and the only dedicated business aviation airport in the UK, with over 30,000 aircraft movements per year.

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KEY POINTS. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remains the busiest airport in the world with 5.2 million seats in September 2023. The composition of the Global Top 10 Busiest Airports is also the same as last month but there are a few changes to the rankings.

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