Aviation

The proportion of adults who took at least one flight in the last 12 months reduced in 2022.

In 2022, just over a third (35%) of adults said they had taken at least one flight for leisure in the last 12 months. This is a decrease from the proportion in 2019 (53%), and is the lowest proportion recorded for comparable data since the question was introduced in 2009. [Table 37a and Figure 22]

Figure 22: Percentage of adults taking flights for leisure, 2009-2022, as described in the text above
Figure 22: Percentage of adults taking flights for leisure, 2009-2022

The percentage of adults who took at least one flight for business in the last 12 months also reduced in 2022, compared to all years between 2009 to 2019, when the question was asked. In 2022, 4% of adults said they had taken a flight in the last 12 months for business purposes, compare to 8% in 2019. [Table 38a].

As in previous years, for those who had flown, flights to Europe were most common for leisure travellers (72% flew at least once to Europe). For business flyers, flights to the rest of the UK were most common (57% flew at least once to the rest of the UK).[Tables 37b, 38b and Figure 23].

Figure 23: Percentage of those who flew who took at least one flight to a destination area, leisure and business users, 2022, as described in the text above
Figure 23: Percentage of those who flew who took at least one flight to a destination area, leisure and business users, 2022