In a trading update released on 22 October, Heathrow Airport said it handled 23.4 million passengers in Q3 2025—its busiest quarter ever, thanks to robust demand for long-haul leisure and premium cabin travel. Management now forecasts total 2025 throughput above 2024’s 79.2 million, despite higher security and employment costs that nudged adjusted EBITDA down 0.2 percent to £1.53 billion.
Revenues for the nine months to September rose 2 percent year-on-year to £2.7 billion, buoyed by retail spending and a recovery in Asia-Pacific routes. CEO Thomas Woldbye said sustained demand underpins Heathrow’s case for expansion and justifies continued investment in security scanners and biometrics ahead of the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rollout.
For mobility teams, rising throughput may translate into fuller flights and higher fares during shoulder seasons, while the airport’s focus on premium services could support flexible ticketing and lounge-access needs of international assignees. Heathrow reiterated that work on enabling projects for a third runway will continue “at pace” pending the new ANPS.
Analysts note that the end of air-side tax-free shopping and inflation-linked wage bills remain headwinds, but passenger demand appears resilient even as broader UK economic growth slows.
Revenues for the nine months to September rose 2 percent year-on-year to £2.7 billion, buoyed by retail spending and a recovery in Asia-Pacific routes. CEO Thomas Woldbye said sustained demand underpins Heathrow’s case for expansion and justifies continued investment in security scanners and biometrics ahead of the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rollout.
For mobility teams, rising throughput may translate into fuller flights and higher fares during shoulder seasons, while the airport’s focus on premium services could support flexible ticketing and lounge-access needs of international assignees. Heathrow reiterated that work on enabling projects for a third runway will continue “at pace” pending the new ANPS.
Analysts note that the end of air-side tax-free shopping and inflation-linked wage bills remain headwinds, but passenger demand appears resilient even as broader UK economic growth slows.
