Heathrow: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Heathrow Airport Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is Heathrow (Ah) Limited. In the year to December 2025 Heathrow Airport Limited reported turnover of £3,547m.
- In the year to December 2025, Heathrow had turnover of £3,547m, up 1.9% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £1,118m, keeping £31.52 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 7,789 people, with staff costs of £465m.
- Heathrow Airport Limited is controlled by Heathrow (Ah) Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from Heathrow Airport Limited's accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 10 April 2026.
- Registered name
- HEATHROW AIRPORT LIMITED
- Company number
- 01991017
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 19 February 1986
- Registered office area
- Twickenham
- Industry code on the register
- 51101: Air transport
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 10 April 2026
What does Heathrow do?
Heathrow is London's main hub airport, handling passenger flights and air cargo for airlines serving destinations around the world. It makes money from airport charges paid by airlines, which are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority, and from retail, food and drink concessions, car parking and property. As a hub, many passengers change flights there rather than starting or ending their journey in London. The airport is privately owned by a group of international investors.
In brief: hub airport · regulated airport charges · retail and car parking · privately owned
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: heathrow.com.
Who owns Heathrow?
The Companies House register records Heathrow (Ah) Limited as the person with significant control of Heathrow Airport Limited, company number 01991017. Heathrow (Ah) Limited is itself company number 06458657.
That places Heathrow Airport Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Heathrow?
The Companies House register lists 7 current officers for Heathrow Airport Limited.
All 7 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Javier Echave Espot | 24 November 2016 |
| Ross Findlay Scott Baker | 1 January 2017 |
| Helen Mary Elsby | 1 September 2021 |
| Nigel Anthony Milton | 1 September 2021 |
| Thomas Woldbye | 18 October 2023 |
| Yuanyuan Ding | 17 October 2024 |
| Joanne Catherine Butler | 20 January 2025 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Heathrow file?
Heathrow Airport Limited reported turnover of £3,547m in the year to December 2025. That was up 1.9% on £3,482m the year before.
It reported 7,789 employees. The year before it reported 7,968.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £1,118m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £1,379m the year before.
Staff costs came to £465m. That is an average of £60,000 a head. It ended the year with £298m at the bank and net assets of £2,473m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £3,547m | £3,482m |
| Pre-tax profit | £1,118m (filed) | £1,379m (filed) |
| Employees | 7,789 | 7,968 |
| Staff costs | £465m | £474m |
| Average staff cost per head | £60,000 | £59,000 |
| Bank and cash | £298m | £1,131m |
| Net assets | £2,473m | £2,137m |
| Interest paid | £992m | |
| Interest received | £776m | |
| Directors' pay | £8m |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against Heathrow?
Heathrow Airport Limited has registered 45 charges at Companies House, of which 45 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 45 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 29 June 2026 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 1 April 2026 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 18 December 2025 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as Trustee for the Borrower Secured Creditors | 29 October 2025 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 11 June 2025 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 4 June 2025 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 28 February 2025 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 20 December 2024 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 2 December 2024 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 19 November 2024 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 9 February 2024 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 6 February 2024 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 22 December 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 11 September 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as Security Trustee | 8 August 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 4 August 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 2 August 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 2 August 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 14 June 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 8 June 2023 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 9 December 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 4 November 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as Trustee for Borrower Secured Creditors | 20 July 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 22 June 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 1 April 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 25 March 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 25 March 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 25 March 2022 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 23 December 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 10 December 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 12 September 2021 |
| Deutsche Trustee Company Limited | 7 July 2021 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Heathrow compares
Of the 7 UK airports, Heathrow is 1st on turnover, 6th on profit margin and 6th on growth. Edinburgh Airport keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £49.72.
| Rank | UK airports | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Heathrow | £3,547m | £31.52 |
| 2nd | Manchester Airports Group | £1,515m | £5.95 |
| + 5 more UK airports ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Heathrow files as Heathrow Airport Limited, whose person with significant control is Heathrow (Ah) Limited, with turnover of £3,547m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Heathrow
What does Heathrow do?
Heathrow is London's main hub airport, handling passenger flights and air cargo for airlines serving destinations around the world. It makes money from airport charges paid by airlines, which are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority, and from retail, food and drink concessions, car parking and property. As a hub, many passengers change flights there rather than starting or ending their journey in London. The airport is privately owned by a group of international investors.
Is Heathrow bigger than Gatwick?
Yes, by turnover. Heathrow reported £3,547m in its latest accounts, against £1,132m at Gatwick. Our Heathrow v Gatwick page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. Heathrow v Gatwick →
How does Heathrow compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Heathrow is 1st of the 7 companies in our battle of the UK airports, ahead of Manchester Airports Group. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the UK airports →
Who owns Heathrow?
The Companies House register records Heathrow (Ah) Limited as the person with significant control of Heathrow Airport Limited.
How much does Heathrow make?
Heathrow Airport Limited reported turnover of £3,547m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax profit of £1,118m.
How many people work at Heathrow?
Heathrow Airport Limited reported 7,789 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs Heathrow?
The Companies House register lists 7 current officers for Heathrow Airport Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Heathrow Airport Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 01991017, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Heathrow: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/heathrow/. Figures from Companies House filings for HEATHROW AIRPORT LIMITED (01991017).
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