Heathrow Airport Back in Profit, with Record Passenger Volumes in First Quarter of Year

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: An airliner comes in to land at Heathrow Airport on August 11, 2014 in London, England. Heathrow is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest in the world. The airport's operator BAA wants to build a third runway to cope with increased demand. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

London’s Heathrow Airport swung back into first-quarter profit and saw record passenger levels for the first three months of the year.

Latest operational figures for the UK’s largest airport showed a total of 18.5 million passengers for the first quarter of this year; up nearly 10% on the same quarter last year.

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The hub generated a profit of £189m for the period; a turnaround from a loss of £60m for the corresponding period last year.

Airport revenue was down, marginally, by 0.7% at £808m.

Heathrow Airport’s chief financial officer Javier Echave said: “It has been a successful start to the year thanks to colleagues delivering a consistent, reliable service to our passengers. As I close the chapter on eight years as CFO, I’m proud that Heathrow is on a strong financial footing with a clear flightpath ahead. On the horizon is Heathrow’s busiest summer yet with more passengers and destinations served than ever before. We’re ready to continue delivering.”