Munich tops the charts with zero waits while Orlando’s customs sees the longest queues in our June 2026 report.
As the summer travel season kicked off in June 2026, security queue times varied dramatically across the globe. Our latest analysis of over 150 airports and border points reveals that passengers at Munich Airport (MUC) experienced the shortest waits, while those arriving at Orlando International Airport’s customs faced the longest. This report breaks down the best and worst performers, with a special look at how UK airports handled the start of the holiday rush.
The World’s Quietest Airports
Travellers passing through Germany’s Munich Airport (MUC) had the smoothest journey this June, with an average security wait time of essentially zero minutes. This remarkable efficiency places it firmly at the top of our global rankings. Not far behind, popular holiday destination Palma de Mallorca (PMI) also impressed, clocking an average wait of just one minute.
Several other European hubs performed exceptionally well, offering travellers a swift start to their trips. The following airports all recorded an average wait time of just two minutes:
- Rome Fiumicino (FCO)
- Cologne/Bonn (CGN)
- Istanbul (IST)
- Budapest (BUD)
Major UK airports also featured near the top, with both Manchester (MAN) and London Heathrow (LHR) posting a very respectable average wait of only three minutes, despite handling huge passenger volumes.
The Longest Queues in June
At the other end of the spectrum, passengers faced significant delays. The longest average wait was recorded at Orlando International Airport’s Customs (MCO Customs), where travellers queued for an average of 23 minutes. London Stansted Airport (STN) shared this challenging figure, also averaging 23 minutes in its security lines, making it the busiest airport in the UK for queues.
Other airports where passengers needed to budget extra time include:
- Lisbon (21 minutes)
- JFK Customs (21 minutes)
- Leeds Bradford Airport (21 minutes)
- Birmingham Airport (20 minutes)
- Keflavik (20 minutes)
These figures highlight the wide disparities in passenger experience, particularly as airports manage the summer peak.
A Mixed Picture for UK Airports
For UK travellers, the choice of airport made a significant difference in June. While Manchester and Heathrow were among the world’s best, other airports saw much longer queues. Edinburgh averaged a moderate seven minutes, and Glasgow came in at eleven minutes. London’s other major airports saw higher wait times, with Gatwick (LGW) at 15 minutes, and both Bristol and London Luton (LTN) at 16 minutes. The list was rounded out by Birmingham (20 minutes), Leeds Bradford (21 minutes), and finally Stansted (23 minutes), which placed it among the most congested airports in our global survey.
Plan Ahead to Beat the Queues
While these monthly averages provide a clear picture, it is crucial to remember that wait times can fluctuate significantly throughout the day. For example, while Heathrow’s average was just three minutes, its peak wait time reached 90 minutes. Similarly, Stansted saw peak queues of 120 minutes. Checking real-time data before you travel remains the most effective way to avoid unnecessary delays and ensure a smoother journey through the airport.