Birmingham airport reports record July with passenger numbers up by 2pc on 2025

Birmingham Airport handled 1,487,899 passengers in July 2026
The figure represents a 2pc growth compared to July 2025
Low-cost airline traffic increased by 11pc in July
The airport recorded 13.66m passengers in full-year 2025
A £300m investment programme is expanding terminal capacity

Birmingham airport recorded 1,487,899 passengers in July, up 2.1pc on July 2025 and up 9.8pc on pre-pandemic. Rolling annual was 13,801,491, up 3pc on the twelve months to July 2025. The total for the first six months of 2026 was 6,371,547, up 1.7pc on the first six months of 2025.

Travellers primarily flew to Dublin, Palma, Alicante and Malaga according to the latest Birmingham Airport News. The airport is currently undergoing a £300m investment programme to expand terminal capacity for future growth.

The July performance continues the airport’s upward trajectory in passenger volumes. The investment programme will expand terminal capacity to accommodate future growth and improve passenger experience. The growth in low-cost airline traffic contributed significantly to the record-breaking month.

The full-year 2025 total reached 13.66m passengers, the busiest year ever recorded.

Nick Barton shared “July 2026 marks the busiest month in Birmingham Airport’s history with 1,487,899 passengers passing through our terminals. The £300m investment programme will expand terminal capacity and improve passenger experience for future growth.”

£300m investment

Birmingham Airport (BHX) has launched a massive £300m capital investment plan spanning 2025 through 2029 to completely modernise its infrastructure. These upgrades aim to fix long-standing passenger bottlenecks, boost cargo capabilities, and prepare the airport to handle more than 14m travellers per year.

The airport is radically shifting its layout to make travel smoother, brighter, and faster. Terminal Extension: Expanding the North Terminal departure lounge by almost 40%. The design brings in massive amounts of natural light and grants better views of the runway.

Opening three brand-new restaurants in phases throughout 2026, including a highly requested Wagamama serving exclusive breakfast items. A premium Executive Business Lounge is also opening to cater to business travellers. Reconfiguring the World Duty-Free (WDF) store to create a smoother walking route straight into the Passenger Search Area. Entirely updating the airport’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

BHX is actively resolving historical friction points regarding wait times and border control.

Installing the first-ever automated e-Gates in the South Terminal arrivals hall.
Enlarging the South Baggage area, adding a brand new baggage carousel (Carousel 7), and upgrading to higher-capacity sortation systems.
Reconfiguring and widening the main Immigration Hall to speed up passport control checks.
Executing full partial reconstructions of taxiways alongside standard runway patch repairs and lighting replacements.
Reconfiguring layout paths to accommodate more frequent, larger commercial and freight planes.
Transitioning air traffic control operations smoothly over to NATS services.

Beyond immediate terminal touch-ups, Birmingham Airport has partnered with global design firm Arup to build a brand new Masterplan 2041. Set to publish later this year, this strategic layout will outline how the airport will transition toward fully green energy, expand solar panel farms, and scale operations smoothly over the next 15 years.