Last year was the UK's busiest ever for air passenger numbers, as 302 million travellers passed through the country's airports, according to the latest data from the Civil Aviation Authority. Passenger numbers were up 2% on the 295 million of 2024, continuing a long-term trajectory that has tripled UK air travel since 1989. The figure surpasses that for 2019, when 300 million people passed through UK airports. CAA data indicates that 73% of flights operated on time in 2025. This is slightly below pre-pandemic standards but represents an improvement of six percentage points on 2024. "A record year for passenger numbers underlines the importance of boosting airport capacity as we progress our work to prepare for a third runway at Heathrow, and drive forward approved expansion plans at Gatwick and Luton," states UK aviation minister Keir Mather. The most popular destinations last year from the UK were Dublin, Alicante, Dubai, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca. The other destinations with the largest increases in passenger numbers were Milan Linate (453,000 more passengers), Krakow (326,000) and Malta (301,000).

Airline alliance Oneworld has appointed Ole Orver as its new chief executive, effective 1 April. Orver, formerly Finnair's chief commercial officer, succeeds Nat Pieper at Oneworld's helm. In October, Pieper was recruited by Oneworld member American Airlines to become its commercial chief. "We are pleased to welcome Ole as CEO of Oneworld as the alliance leads the world in redefining the full breadth of value it provides to member airlines and their customers," states American's chief executive Robert Isom, who chairs Oneworld's board. Orver was with Oneworld member Finnair for six years before departing in April 2025, his LinkedIn profile shows.

Air Canada and Pegasus Airlines have formed a new interline agreement. Air Canada customers will be able to book travel on nine Pegasus-operated routes, offering connections via major European gateways to Istanbul and the Aegean coastal city of Izmir. "Air Canada’s strategy is built on connecting people, markets and opportunities around the world," states Mary-Jane Lorette, vice-president, revenue management, partnerships and international affairs at Air Canada. "Our partnership with Pegasus Airlines expands our reach into Turkey, offering customers more ways to explore one of the world’s most dynamic regions while reinforcing our role as a leading global airline." Through the partnership, travellers flying to Air Canada's European gateways of Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Munich, Geneva, Vienna, Zurich and Athens, can connect onward to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International airport, and from Frankfurt to Izmir Adnan Menderes airport. Air Canada and Pegasus are exploring expanding the partnership into a full codeshare in the future, which would include reciprocal loyalty programme benefits and enhanced co-operation across both carriers' international networks.