On 30 June 2026 the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published CAP 3279, launching a four-week consultation on an interim price control for Heathrow Airport Limited to run during calendar-year 2027. The holding cap—proposed at £28.398 per passenger—bridges the gap between the expiry of the current H7 settlement at end-2026 and final decisions on the next five-year (H8) control, now slated for April 2027. For corporate travel buyers, landing-charge trajectories at Heathrow materially influence long-haul fares and slot-allocation strategy. Airlines argue that any price above £26 risks dampening demand, while Heathrow insists that higher charges are needed to fund sustainability upgrades and security-checkpoint automation ahead of the 2028 ICAO biometrics mandate. The CAA says the mid-point figure reflects inflation movements since its initial H8 proposals in March and will be revisited once consultation feedback closes on 28 July. Final 2027 charges will then be reconciled in the full H8 determination, ensuring airlines are not over- or under-charged across the control period. Travel managers should monitor the outcome: if the interim cap is confirmed near £28, carriers may introduce fuel-and-charges surcharges on UK point-of-sale tickets for travel in 2027. Negotiating status-quo year-over-year fares in corporate deals could become harder. Firms with high Heathrow volumes may wish to diversify routings via Gatwick or continental hubs until pricing clarity returns.
