Heathrow is set to submit its five-year investment proposal to Ministers by July 31st on securing long-term capacity growth at the UK’s hub airport.

Heathrow welcomed more passengers in the first six months of 2025 than ever before, hitting a record 39.9 million despite macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical events, while in the first six months of 2025, revenue grew 1.9% to £1,724 million (2024: £1,692 million).

Larger aircraft and strong demand for Asia Pacific and Middle East destinations were the primary growth drivers.

Transatlantic travel remains healthy, and these links contributed to a 2.4% growth in trade through Heathrow.

More flights are departing on-time from Heathrow this year versus any other major hub in Europe, with Heathrow claiming 98% of passengers waited less than five minutes at security and circa 99% of bags travelled with their passengers.  

The higher revenue was driven by more long-haul flying and more passengers enjoying Heathrow’s retail and food and beverage options.

With a busy summer holiday getting underway and continued strong leisure demand, Heathrow said it remains on-track to meet its forecast of over 84 million passengers this year.

Adjusted operating costs increased by 3.2% to £765 million (2024: £741 million) due to higher maintenance costs to support operational performance, increased National Insurance contributions and higher electricity prices.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 0.8% to £959 million (2024: £951 million). No dividend payments were made to Heathrow shareholders in Q2 2025.

Investment proposal

As reported, its 2027-2031 investment plan, built around customer feedback and insight, is intended to improve passenger experience, boost operational resilience and enable airline growth.

It is designed to be delivered affordably with the airport charge remaining competitive with global hubs and below what it was a decade ago.

This private investment in UK infrastructure will boost jobs and drive growth in this Parliament. The CAA is now reviewing the plan.

 Depending on the Government’s response, Heathrow noted it would aim to meet their ambition to secure planning permission in this Parliament and for the runway to be operational by 2035.

Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: “We are delivering on our vision to become an extraordinary airport, fit for the future. We are welcoming record passenger numbers and improving the services that matter most. Our new five-year investment plan will mean faster, more reliable journeys, more on-time flights and unlock room to grow – all while delivering better value for customers.

We will soon submit our long-term expansion plans to the Government, providing the UK with the opportunity to stay competitive, boost jobs and drive nationwide growth. Heathrow has an exciting future ahead and we are ready to get going.”

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