22nd Oct 2026 11:30
(Alliance News) - Heathrow (SP) Ltd on Thursday reported a decline in passengers, revenue and earnings in the first nine months of the year, saying the west London airport was hurt by "continued geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East".
Adjusted pretax profit was GBP177 million in the nine months that ended September 30, down 18% from GBP217 million a year before. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell by 6.0% to GBP1.44 billion from GBP1.53 billion.
Heathrow didn't provide any non-adjusted earnings figures.
Revenue in the nine months was GBP2.68 billion, down 0.7% from GBP2.70 billion a year before, as passenger numbers slipped by 0.6% to 62.9 million from 63.3 million. In addition to the lower passenger numbers, Heathrow said revenue was hurt by decreasing airport charges.
Meanwhile, adjusted operating costs rose by 6.2% to GBP1.24 billion from GBP1.17 billion. Heathrow cited higher business rates - a form of tax in the UK - and higher National Insurance contributions, as well as increased investment in technology.
However, Heathrow said the airport delivered a "strong operational performance" over the summer, including its busiest day ever on August 2, when it handled 272,000 passengers.
The airport continued to make a case for building a third runway, saying it is the busiest two-runway airport in the world but recently lost its title of the world's most connected airport to Istanbul. "As competitor hubs grow and Heathrow risks falling behind, we must progress with expansion," Chief Financial Officer Sally Ding.
By Tom Waite, Alliance News editor
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