The boss of Heathrow today claimed the airport was ready to deliver a new runway as he reported a rise in passengers and profits.
The west London hub, seen as the favourite to win government permission for a third runway, saw passengers numbers edge up by 0.7% to a record 57.3 million in the first nine months of the year.
Year-on-year revenue was up by 1.2% to more than £2 billion and adjusted earnings [EBITDA] rose by 4.4% to £1.2 billion.
Long-haul traffic increased by 1.7%, mainly from routes to the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions, helped by airlines deploying larger aircraft on Gulf services and new entrants such as Vietnam Airlines and Garuda.
Heathrow described the summer as being “particularly strong” with 21.6 million passengers handled in the three months to September 30 2016, a rise of 0.9% compared with the same period last year.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: Heathrow’s passengers are getting better service at lower prices – and record numbers are choosing the UK’s hub airport.
“The prime minister is showing leadership and will decide on the critical national issue of Heathrow expansion in the next few days.
“Heathrow is the right choice to help make Britain stronger and fairer for everyone – that’s why there is such broad support across the UK from Newquay to Inverness for our plans – and we stand ready to deliver the runway that will keep Britain a confident, outward looking trading nation as soon as we get the green light from government.”