In London, Gatwick Airport's Profits Leap Despite European Challenges. London ? In London, Gatwick Airport has seen half-year profits jump by nearly two-thirds as travel demand surged, but said air traffic remains below pre-pandemic levels due to ?challenging? restrictions across Europe.

As of early 2026, major UK airports have returned to strong profitability, though their margins are being squeezed by rising operational costs and regulatory caps. Heathrow Airport, for instance, reported an adjusted pretax profit of over £217 million for the first nine months of the 2025/2026 fiscal year, driven by record-breaking passenger numbers (over 84 million annually). Similarly, Gatwick and Manchester have seen significant profit growth due to the "revenge travel" boom and increased revenue from high-end retail and parking. However, profitability is not uniform across the board; smaller regional airports often struggle with the high costs of security compliance and a shortage of air traffic controllers. For 2026, the biggest threat to airport profits is the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) price caps, which limit how much airports can charge airlines per passenger, forcing hubs to rely more heavily on "non-aeronautical" income like luxury shopping, lounges, and "fast-track" security fees.