Airports in every nation and region of the UK confirm their support for Heathrow expansion. * Airports from across the UK have confirmed their support for Heathrow expansion, recognising the growth and connectivity it will bring to every part of the country * It comes as Heathrow and RABA Group, which represents nearly 40 smaller Regional and Business Airports across all four corners of the country, sign a new MoU affirming a joint commitment to ensure airports and communities across the whole of the UK benefit from this crucial, fully privately financed national project * It means support is shared by airports from Belfast to Newcastle, Inverness to Newquay, as they urge the Government to move forward with Heathrow expansion to ensure the UK's hub connectivity remains competitive Airports from every nation and region of the UK have confirmed their support for a third runway at Heathrow - the UK's hub airport. A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed this week between Heathrow and RABA (The UK Regional and Business Airports Group) underlines their joint commitment to ensure that the UK-wide benefits of expansion can be unlocked through stronger domestic connectivity. The support for expansion is shared by airports from Belfast to Newcastle, Inverness to Newquay, who all want to see protected and improved domestic links to the UK's hub through expansion. Heathrow already plays a critical role in connecting the UK. Almost 5 million passengers travelled on Heathrow's 13 domestic routes in 2025, supporting an estimated £1.2bn in gross tourism spending across the UK. However, Heathrow is full and has been for many years, and as a result, domestic routes have to compete for scarce slots alongside more lucrative international services. When domestic connections are lost, passengers rely on indirect routes via overseas hubs, offshoring the benefits of connectivity away from the UK. Despite these capacity constraints, Heathrow has supported internal routes through significant domestic discounts and close partnerships with airports. But ultimately, only by unlocking new capacity at the UK's hub airport, will there be sufficient protection and greater competition on existing routes, as well as an opportunity for new connections to underserved parts of the UK, which are vital for tourism, trade and investment across the country. Today's MoU confirms a commitment from Heathrow to ensure expansion reverses this uncertainty and offshoring, by unlocking new capacity, to connect more of the UK to global growth through their own country's hub airport. These connections are essential support jobs nationwide, attract visitors to towns and cities across the country, and link local economies and the goods they produce to international opportunities. Heathrow's Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, Nigel Milton, said:"There's a reason we're not called London Heathrow anymore, because we're the UK's hub airport, and when Heathrow grows, so do the opportunities for other airports across the country. We're committed to UK airports having better access to Heathrow and are proud to confirm that partnership with RABA. We need a stronger domestic network of routes into Heathrow, and the only way we can do that is with the growth a third runway will deliver." RABA Group Chair, Neil Pakey, said: "Heathrow expansion would offer a significant boost to the UK, opening up global growth access to communities across the country. For smaller regional airports, direct connections to Heathrow offer a vital gateway to international markets, supporting local businesses, jobs and economic growth. The MoU signed by RABA and Heathrow Airports Ltd reflects Heathrow's commitment to strengthening connectivity across the UK. A third runway will help deliver these benefits nationwide. We urge the Government to maintain momentum and deliver this long-overdue national upgrade so that every part of the UK can benefit." Echoing the need for expansion as a driver for domestic connectivity - Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Newcastle International Airport, Belfast City Airport, Leeds Bradford Airport and Cornwall Airport Newquay have also all offered their support, and said: "The UK aviation sector is vital to the UK's economic success, but while Heathrow is full, it acts as a block to the domestic and international connectivity that inward investment, tourism and exports across the country rely on. Unlocking new capacity at Heathrow is the only way to ensure every part of the UK benefits from reliable access to the country's global gateway. We urge the Government to move forward at pace to approve Heathrow's private investment in new capacity so that we can maximise our own growth plans and play our full roles in supporting local and national economies."

London Heathrow traffic and financial results hurt by US-Iran war. Published on 10/22/2026 at 06:32 am EDT Alliance News (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 (C) Alliance News - 2026

Heathrow expands winter network with new airlines and six new routes. Heathrow Airport has announced an expanded winter schedule, welcoming two new airline partners and launching six new routes as demand for access to the UK's only hub airport continues to grow. Heathrow Airport has announced an expanded winter schedule, welcoming two new airline partners and launching six new routes as demand for access to the UK's only hub airport continues to grow. The additions include new services from Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Xiamen Airlines and beOnd, further strengthening Heathrow's global connectivity and providing passengers with greater choice across long-haul leisure and business destinations. Among the headline launches is Virgin Atlantic's new service to Phuket, while British Airways will introduce flights to Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur, alongside new services to San José in Costa Rica and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. New airline entrants Xiamen Airlines and beOnd will add connections to Xiamen in China and The Red Sea region of Saudi Arabia respectively. According to Heathrow, the new routes reinforce the airport's role as a key gateway for international trade, tourism and investment. The airport said continued airline demand highlights both the attractiveness of Heathrow's network and the pressures of operating near full capacity. Ross Baker, Chief Customer Officer at Heathrow, said the new routes and airline partnerships would give passengers more choice while strengthening the UK's global connections. He added that ongoing demand from carriers underlines the need for future expansion to enable further growth in routes and airline services. The 5-minute daily briefing for UK business travellers. Free. Unsubscribe any time. The new services are being introduced throughout the 2026-27 winter season, with destinations spanning Asia, Australia, Central America, the Middle East and Europe. Andrea Thompson Andrea can be found either in the Travelling For Business office or around the globe enjoying a city break, visiting new locations or sampling some of the best restaurants all work related of course!