British airport operator Heathrow reported a 22.1% rise in earnings today, boosted by higher passenger traffic to Asia and the Middle East.
The owner of Heathrow, Southampton, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports said adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and appreciation (EBITDA) rose to £1.035 billion sterling for the nine months to September 30.
This was up from £848m the same time last year.
"Strong passenger satisfaction and passenger numbers have driven strong growth in cash flows, funding current investment of almost £4m a day in improving the airport for passengers and airlines," chief executive Colin Matthews said.
Heathrow, majority-owned by Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial, said the number of passengers passing through its airports rose 3.6% to 54.8 million over the nine month period, while net retail income per passenger increased 2.6% to £6.18.
There was no repeat of last year's summer dip in demand for short-haul flights to Europe during the London Olympics, it said.
The company said it was reconsidering its investment plans following a proposal by Britain's aviation regulator to cap the prices charged by London's Heathrow airport - the country's busiest - as it would reduce returns to below the level at which shareholders were willing to invest.
