London Heathrow Airport saw a 2.1% increase in revenue during the first quarter, reaching £825 million, despite a slight decline in passenger traffic compared to the same period in 2024.
From January 1 to March 31, the UK’s busiest airport served 18.2 million passengers. This represents a 1.6% decrease from the 18.5 million passengers in Q1 of 2024.
The drop in passenger numbers was partly due to a fire at an electricity substation, which forced Heathrow to halt operations for 10 hours on March 21. The later timing of Easter this year also impacted the figures.
Despite this, Heathrow’s revenue grew, driven by a rise in long-haul flights, as well as increased income from property and retail. The airport also noted the addition of new routes to Cancun, Mexico; Ottawa, Canada; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as contributing factors to its growth. These routes will continue to operate in summer 2025.
Heathrow’s adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) increased by 2.5%, reaching £454 million in Q1. This is up from £443 million during the same period in 2024.
The airport also announced that work on its proposed third runway is progressing. Heathrow plans to submit its proposals to the UK government by the summer.
“We believe this project will be fully privately funded and could spark economic growth across the UK, from construction to operation,” said a Heathrow spokesperson. “If the government supports our plans, we hope to secure planning permission during this parliamentary term, with the runway potentially operational by 2035.”
Heathrow emphasized that the new runway would enhance competition, provide more choices for consumers, and improve operational resilience at the UK’s central airport.
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