Most Active Airlines in United Kingdom

Key Takeaways

  • 148 airlines fly scheduled routes from the United Kingdom. Together they operate 2,947 distinct outgoing routes from the country's airports
  • Ryanair runs the widest network. 608 outgoing routes from the United Kingdom — about 1.0x the next airline
  • LGW is the busiest hub. Ranked by the number of outgoing routes departing each airport
  • Every airline mapped. Each of the top 12 carriers gets a map of where it flies from the United Kingdom

Which airlines are most active in the United Kingdom? Using live AirportRoutes data, we ranked every airline by the number of distinct outgoing routes it operates from the United Kingdom’s airports — each origin-to-destination pair counted once. Below, every one of the top 12 carriers gets a map of where it flies.

Bar chart of the most active airlines in United Kingdom by outgoing routes
The 10 most active airlines in United Kingdom, ranked by distinct outgoing routes. Data: AirportRoutes.

The Full Ranking

Full ranking

Most Active Airlines in United Kingdom

By distinct outgoing routes operated from the country’s airports.

Airline Routes Destinations Busiest base
1. Ryanair608168Main hub: STN
2. easyJet593129Main hub: LGW
3. Jet242267Main hub: LBA
4. TUI Airways31266Main hub: MAN
5. British Airways203176Main hub: LHR
6. Wizz Air10066Main hub: LTN
7. Loganair9232Main hub: GLA
8. Emerald Airlines3312Main hub: BHD
9. BA3228Main hub: LCY
10. SunExpress234Main hub: MAN
11. Virgin Atlantic2321Main hub: LHR
12. Vueling Airlines2012Main hub: LGW

"Routes" = distinct origin-destination city pairs departing the country, counted once. Regularly-served routes only. Data: AirportRoutes.

Where the Routes Are: United Kingdom’s Busiest Airports

Map of the busiest airports in United Kingdom by number of outgoing routes
United Kingdom's busiest airports by number of outgoing routes. Data: AirportRoutes · Map: Mappr.

Each Airline — Where It Flies

Pick an airline and toggle Domestic / Continental / Intercontinental to see where each one flies. Click a dot for details.

1. Ryanair

608 outgoing routes from 22 airports in the United Kingdom to 168 destinations (8 domestic, 160 international). Busiest bases: STN, MAN, EDI. Top destinations include Dublin, Alicante / Benidorm / Costa Blanca, Malaga, Balice, Tenerife.

2. easyJet

593 outgoing routes from 20 airports in the United Kingdom to 129 destinations (17 domestic, 112 international). Busiest bases: LGW, MAN, BRS. Top destinations include Belfast, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Alicante / Benidorm / Costa Blanca.

3. Jet2

422 outgoing routes from 14 airports in the United Kingdom to 67 destinations (0 domestic, 67 international). Busiest bases: LBA, MAN, BHX. Top destinations include Tenerife, Alicante / Benidorm / Costa Blanca, Arrecife, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga.

4. TUI Airways

312 outgoing routes from 18 airports in the United Kingdom to 66 destinations (1 domestic, 65 international). Busiest bases: MAN, BHX, LGW. Top destinations include Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Arrecife, Muğla.

5. British Airways

203 outgoing routes from 9 airports in the United Kingdom to 176 destinations (9 domestic, 167 international). Busiest bases: LHR, LGW, GLA. Top destinations include London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Madrid, Dublin.

6. Wizz Air

100 outgoing routes from 7 airports in the United Kingdom to 66 destinations (0 domestic, 66 international). Busiest bases: LTN, LGW, BHX. Top destinations include Bucharest, Warsaw, Malaga, Marrakech, Budapest.

7. Loganair

92 outgoing routes from 27 airports in the United Kingdom to 32 destinations (25 domestic, 7 international). Busiest bases: GLA, ABZ, EDI. Top destinations include Edinburgh, Manchester, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Shetland Islands.

8. Emerald Airlines

33 outgoing routes from 15 airports in the United Kingdom to 12 destinations (10 domestic, 2 international). Busiest bases: BHD, BHX, LBA. Top destinations include Belfast, Dublin, Birmingham, Manchester, West Yorkshire.

9. BA

32 outgoing routes from 6 airports in the United Kingdom to 28 destinations (4 domestic, 24 international). Busiest bases: LCY, EDI, GLA. Top destinations include London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam, Berlin.

10. SunExpress

23 outgoing routes from 11 airports in the United Kingdom to 4 destinations (0 domestic, 4 international). Busiest bases: MAN, STN, LGW. Top destinations include Antalya, Muğla, İzmir, Bodrum.

11. Virgin Atlantic

23 outgoing routes from 2 airports in the United Kingdom to 21 destinations (0 domestic, 21 international). Busiest bases: LHR, MAN. Top destinations include Bangalore, Orlando, Mumbai, Bridgetown, New York.

12. Vueling Airlines

20 outgoing routes from 6 airports in the United Kingdom to 12 destinations (0 domestic, 12 international). Busiest bases: LGW, LHR, CWL. Top destinations include Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante / Benidorm / Costa Blanca, Florence (Firenze), Rome.

Related Maps

Major Airports in United Kingdom
Major Airports in United Kingdom United Kingdom's biggest airports ranked by nonstop destinations, mapped.
Most Active Airlines in Italy
Most Active Airlines in Italy The same breakdown for Italy's airlines.