Summary

  • UK-US flights increased by 2.7% in June 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Morocco and Turkey see significant rises in UK flights, with Turkey becoming a premier holiday destination.
  • Spain flights are below the pre-pandemic capacity, but the UK-Spain route remains busy.

As summer air travel kicks into full swing, flights from the UK to popular holiday destinations are on the rise. Notably, flights between the United Kingdom and the United States have increased by 2.7% compared to pre-pandemic levels. The data, revealed by the aviation analytics company Cirium, looks at numbers from June 2024.

Expanded airline capacity to the US

Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines in the UK and the US have gradually increased their capacity for flights between the two countries. In July 2023, transatlantic flights from the United Kingdom to the United States exceeded the pre-pandemic capacity.

According to Cirium data, flights between the UK and the US rose 2.7% in June 2024 compared to June 2019’s pre-pandemic activity. In addition, flights between the two countries saw an increase of 4.1% this month compared to June 2023.

A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landing at San Francisco International Airport while a United Airlines 787-9 is waiting to take off at Runway 28L.

Photo: Sundry Photography | Shutterstock

In terms of flight numbers from the UK to the US, airlines conducted a total of 4,435 flights in June 2019, 4,376 flights in June 2023, and 4,554 flights in June 2024. The data also reveals that while flight capacity between the two countries nearly reached pre-pandemic levels in June 2023, it was still lower than in June 2019 by 1.3%.

Indeed, flights between the UK and the US will experience a capacity boost this summer. Virgin Atlantic announced it will expand its presence by adding a seventh daily flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to New York JFK. Together with its joint venture partner Delta Air Lines, they will offer ten daily flights to New York, an 11% increase compared to summer 2023.

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Morocco and Turkey are gaining popularity

While the US is one of the most important air travel markets for airlines flying from the UK, other holiday destinations are noticing an increased demand this summer. Notably, flights from Turkey and Morocco are becoming more popular than ever.

The data reveals that operations from the UK to Morocco increased by 74.3% this June compared to the same pre-pandemic period in 2019. In June 2024, carriers have 631 scheduled flights. Meanwhile, in June 2019, airlines operated just 362 flights.

Turkish Airlines 737 MAX 8 shutterstock_2392921409
Photo: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock

Turkey is also gaining popularity as a premier holiday destination. In June 2024, carriers scheduled 3,848 flights, marking a 71.6% increase compared to the same month in 2019. Last year, airlines operated 3,339 flights between the two countries.

Spain flights below pre-pandemic levels

Spain, a longstanding favorite holiday destination in the UK, did not reach pre-pandemic capacity. In June 2024, airlines scheduled 14,130 flights between the UK and Spain, a decrease of 0.8% compared to the same period in 2019, when there were 14,244 scheduled flights.

The UK to Spain route is still one of the busiest air corridors globally, with many passengers traveling in both directions. It is worth noting that Ryanair operates the most flights – 7,442 – between the UK and Spain in June 2024.

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