Heathrow will pack in almost 71 million passengers next year, 1.2% more than in the last 12 months, as airlines use more A380s and other large jets on its landing strips.
The airport’s take-off and landing schedules are already full so it cannot accept more planes. However, Britain’s busiest airport reckons more occupied seats on bigger jets, plus increased aeronautical tariffs set by the industry watchdog and an expected growth in passengers shopping, will help revenues to shoot up 9.7% to £2.4 billion in 2013.
Heathrow expects each passenger to spend almost 4% more at the airport next year, mainly at duty-free shops but the airport said that air-side catering and car parks are also “expected to perform well”. It will invest £1.3 billion in 2013, mainly on the construction of the new Terminal 2.
Heathrow has its slogan as “making every journey better” but that may not have been the case this year, when punctuality dipped.
In the nine months to October, the proportion of jets departing within 15 minutes of their schedule was 79% at Heathrow, down from 80% a year earlier.
The group — which was formerly known as BAA — has seen turnover rise 8.2% to £1.8 billion in the nine months to October.
Its costs rose almost 7% in the period thanks to the building a temporary Olympic terminal, the snow in February, and higher staff wages.
