UK Aviation - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2025 - 2030)

The commercial aviation industry is expected to experience substantial growth in the future

• In the United Kingdom, the GDP of the aviation industry, including airlines and their supply chains, is projected to be USD 86 billion. An additional USD 34 billion, totaling USD 120 billion of the country's GDP, is supported by international visitor spending. The inputs to the air transport industry and foreign visitors who arrive by air contribute 4.5% to the country’s GDP.
• General aviation employs around 12,000 people in the United Kingdom. About 96% of the 21,000 civilian aircraft registered in the United Kingdom are used for general aviation, and the GA fleet logs between 1.25 million and 1.35 million hours of flight time yearly. There are 10,000 certified glider pilots and 28,000 people with Private Pilot Licenses (PPL). The use of more accessible aircraft, such as microlights, locally built airplanes, and smaller helicopters, saw a rise in the past 20 years.
• The country's military budget for 2022 was USD 68.5 billion, a rise of 3.7%. Out of the total government spending, the country has allocated 2.2% of its share to the military. Its NATO membership commits the United Kingdom to devote 2% of its annual GDP to defense. Currently, the United Kingdom dedicates more than 2% of its GDP to the military. The country is buying new-generation aircraft to improve its aviation capabilities, thus resulting in increased military spending.
• UK airlines are procuring new aircraft to cater to the demand generated by the rising rates of air travel and to replace aging aircraft with fuel-efficient models. Easyjet has ordered 128 A320neo and 33 A321neo models. Virgin Atlantic has ordered 15 Airbus A330-900neo and five A350-1000 aircraft. British Airways ordered 40 aircraft, comprising five A320neo and nine Boeing 787-10 aircraft.

UK Aviation Market Trends

More people are traveling domestically now, leading to an increase in demand from domestic travelers

• The UK-based airlines were responsible for uplifting a total of 206.35 million air passengers who traveled through the UK in 2022, compared to 189.64 million in 2021. The growth between 2022 and 2021 was 8.8%, and the growth between 2022 and 2020 was 566%.
• In 2022, British Airways handled 11.66 million passengers, the most among all UK-based airlines. It was followed by EasyJet, which handled about 11.4 million passengers. Overall, in 2022, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) managed 1,062,945 flights, similar to the 1,028,254 flights in 2020, both significantly less than 2019 flight numbers, which were more than 2.5 million. The UK's recovery has lagged in Europe, primarily due to government restrictions and European restrictions on UK travel.
• The war between Ukraine and Russia resulted in the UK imposing its own overflight and landing ban on Russian aircraft. The sanctions mean that UK airlines will have to divert flight routes to avoid Russian airspace, resulting in longer flight times. For instance, Virgin Atlantic announced that avoiding Russian airspace will add up to an hour to its flights between the UK, Pakistan, and India.
• Longer flights will cause an increase in fuel consumption and can result in a sharp increase in operating costs for certain routes. The increasing fuel costs will particularly impact airlines, thus resulting in increased costs to passengers through higher ticket prices. Re-routing and longer flights may also cause inconvenience for air passengers, with an increased risk of flights being canceled completely and may decrease passenger confidence. The unpredictability of the situation in Ukraine is likely to be a major challenge for UK airlines and further delay the recovery in air passenger numbers.

Rising geopolitical threats are the driving factor for rising defense expenditure

• As a member of NATO, the United Kingdom is committed to spending 2% of its GDP on defense each year. The country's military budget for 2022 was USD 68.5 billion, a rise of 3.7%. Out of the total government spending, the country has allocated 2.2% of its share to the military. At present, the United Kingdom spends more than 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on military expenses.
• According to the recently published Defense Equipment Plan for 2021-2031, the United Kingdom plans to modernize its armed forces to combat future threats. The nation plans to spend USD 321 billion (GBP 238 billion) on equipment procurement and support over the next 10 years, starting from 2021 to 2022. The Army Command allocated USD 55.7 billion (GBP 41.3 billion) to aircraft procurement, including an allocation for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
• For the purpose of expanding the naval fleet, the British Navy plans to spend USD 43.2 billion (EUR 38.1 billion). Fundings of USD 39.7 billion (EUR 35 billion), USD 58.8 billion (EUR 58.1 billion), and USD 24.4 billion (EUR 21.5 billion) were provided to the UK Strategic Command, the Defence Nuclear Organization, and the Strategic and Combat Air Program, respectively. The UK Ministry of Defence also announced its plans to procure additional F-35s and A400M aircraft in the coming years. The Air Command plans to retire equipment that is becoming increasingly obsolete in the digital and future operational environments.

UK Aviation Industry Overview

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support