Birmingham Airport eyes new transatlantic and European routes
Situated in the heart of England, Birmingham Airport (BHX) is one of the busiest regional airports in the UK and welcomed a record 13 million passengers in 2024/25. The airport is served by 29 partner airlines operating non-stop routes to 140 destinations with further one-stop connectivity to over 600 destinations. Concurrent with the diversity of its region, the airport has a varied offering of low-cost, full service scheduled, charter and long-haul carriers. Due to its positioning as the ‘Gateway to the Midlands’, BHX benefits from one of the UK’s fastest growing regional economies and has the second largest proportion of business travel after Heathrow.
As a result of its centrality, BHX is a well-connected airport with 90% of the UK population located within a four-hour drive of the airport. This accessibility will only strengthen over the next decade when Birmingham Airport becomes the only airport with a direct connection to HS2 in 2033. The new high-speed rail line, which is Britain’s largest rail infrastructure project, will connect London to Birmingham Airport in less than 45 minutes, effectively positioning the transport hub within Zone 5 of the underground map.
To maintain the passenger experience during this record period of growth, BHX is investing significantly into expanding, refreshing and enhancing facilities as part of its most ambitious Capital Investment Plan ever. Over £226 million is set to be invested into the airport’s terminal over the next three years with key developments including additional baggage make up facilities and belts, improvements to taxiways and stands and a redeveloped departure lounge offering new lounges, food and beverage outlets and children’s play areas.
Looking ahead, the airport has ambitious plans to scale its passenger figures to 18 million by 2033. With major London airports over capacity, Birmingham Airport is ready to accommodate demand from a new catchment connected by HS2 and has particular interest in developing unserved routes in Europe including Riga, Oslo and Helsinki. Further afield, plans include transatlantic connectivity to New York and Toronto as a top priority, as well as direct access to key intercontinental business markets such as Hong Kong, Mumbai and Singapore.
