The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published Initial Proposals for the maximum fees that Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) can charge airlines for using the airport during the H8 regulatory period.
Running from January 2027 until the end of 2031; the regulator has now begun consultation on a potential range for its H8 Initial Proposals, which will set a cap on airport charges per passenger to a fee between 27.70 GBP & 30.50 GBP .
The CAA has stated that the mid-point of its range implies an average charge over the H8 period of 28.80 GBP, an increase of 0.40 GBP over the H7 charge of 28.40 GBP. The mid-point is currently expected to sit 16% (5.40 GBP) lower than HAL’s forecast, and around 25% (5.80 GBP) lower than the airlines’ proposed changes.
Proposals for the next Heathrow price control, which aim to set incentives for Heathrow to improve both service quality standards and environmental performance, are separate from current work the regulator is conducting to support capacity expansion at the airport.
Heathrow has stated that it intends to invest billions to improve airport resilience and consumer services over the coming years, with the multi-year price caps allowing the airport to recover efficient costs whilst setting out incentives for cost-effective investment.
Selina Chadha, Group Director of Consumer and Markets at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:Our primary duty is to protect consumers and at the heart of today’s proposals is doing the right thing for passengers using Heathrow airport, while supporting sustainable growth, investment, and efficiency.
Our proposals for the airport charges levied by Heathrow on airlines strike the right balance between keeping passenger prices fair, while enabling the airport to make the investment needed to improve services for the future. We encourage all stakeholders to provide us with their views on our initial proposals.
The CAA will publish its final proposals for the H8 price control in November 2026, which will be followed by a final decision in April 2027.
