Heathrow airport has paid its first dividend since before the pandemic after passenger traffic roared back to record levels last year.The west London hub said it will hand £250 million to its shareholders “as a result of strong 2024 business performance”.

Britain's Heathrow Airport reported a jump in annual profit after passenger numbers rose to record levels in 2024, weeks after the government threw its weight behind the hub's expansion project as it seeks boosts to trade and economic growth.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave her backing for Heathrow's third runway project in a speech on growth last month

Heathrow airport plans to pay its owners a dividend for the first time since the pandemic, as it reported record passenger numbers ahead of a new tilt at building a third runway. The airport said on Wednesday that it would pay a dividend of £250mn to its shareholders in the coming weeks — its first payout since just before the pandemic struck in February 2020.