NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 13:03 ET
- UK regional airports are bracing for steep rises in business rates next year after a property revaluation.
- Tax firm Ryan said some assessed values jumped more than sixfold, pushing bills sharply higher even with relief caps.
- Airport operators and the industry group AirportsUK said higher costs are likely to feed into charges and curb investment.
Air travellers across the UK could face higher ticket prices next year as regional airports brace for steep increases in business rates, the property tax charged on commercial sites, according to a PA Media analysis of government data. 1
The warning matters now because the higher tax bills would raise fixed costs for airports outside London that rely heavily on airline fees to fund day-to-day operations and investment, industry figures said.
AirportsUK, which represents the sector, is preparing a response to a Treasury consultation on business rates that closes in February, and said the plans risk hitting local economies that depend on airport connectivity.
Global tax firm Ryan said its calculations based on Valuation Office Agency (VOA) figures showed “rateable values” — assessed property values used to calculate business rates — rose more than sixfold in some cases after the latest revaluation. 2
Even with “transitional relief”, a scheme that limits annual increases, most airports will see their business rates bills more than double over the next three years, Ryan said. The relief caps rises at 30% next year, it added.
Manchester Airport is among the hardest hit, with its business rates bill expected to rise by 4.2 million pounds to 18.1 million pounds next year, Ryan’s figures showed. Bristol Airport’s bill is set to rise by 1.2 million pounds to 5.2 million pounds, while Birmingham International Airport faces a 1.8 million pound increase to 7.6 million pounds.
Newcastle International Airport’s bill is expected to rise by 244,755 pounds to 1.1 million pounds, the analysis showed. Liverpool Airport, East Midlands International Airport and Bournemouth Airport also face sharp increases, Ryan said.
Alex Probyn, practice leader for Europe and Asia-Pacific property tax at Ryan, said the higher costs would be passed on. “These increases will inevitably flow through the system … ultimately into ticket prices,” he said.
Manchester Airports Group, which owns Manchester Airport, said airports were already among the country’s highest business-rate payers and that jumps of more than 100% would force a reassessment of investment plans, including more than 2 billion pounds across its UK airports over the next five years.
AirportsUK called the plans shortsighted and said they would have a knock-on effect for businesses that rely on airport connectivity, adding that it would engage with the Treasury’s longer-term review of how airport business rates are calculated. 3
The analysis said major hubs such as Heathrow and Gatwick also face substantial increases, but the steepest rises are concentrated outside the capital. Regional airports compete for routes and rely heavily on airlines, including low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet.
Business rates are a tax charged on commercial property and calculated from an assessed value set by the government’s valuers. Airports typically recover those costs through charges to airlines for using terminals and runways, which can filter through into fares.
