Heathrow and Scotland:
As the world’s best-connected airport, keeping Heathrow supplied and running efficiently day in day out is an enormous logistical task. But we are not content to stand still and are always seeking to invest and improve the airport. Scottish businesses play a crucial role in our supply chain, a great example being Merson Group, based in East Kilbride, who manufacture and install new signage at the airport.
Heathrow is also a key facilitator of Scottish trade and passenger traffic, with 2.8 million passengers travelling between Heathrow and Scotland each year. Our two busiest domestic routes are Glasgow and Edinburgh, while Scottish Salmon remains our largest export by volume, with a over £300 million worth of salmon – representing 35% of Scottish salmon exports by value.
Heathrow invests:
During a record-breaking year at Heathrow, with 84 million passengers travelling through the airport, we undertook a capital investment programme worth over £1.03 billion in 2025, over 90% of which was spent with UK businesses, with SMEs making up 73% of all direct suppliers.
Heathrow has published its annual investment impact report, showcasing some of the businesses who supported our continual work to improve the airport.
Among the headline statistics in the report, we are pleased that last year Heathrow invested over £8 million pounds in Scotland, procuring directly from 39 businesses, including 28 SMEs, an increase from the 32 Scottish suppliers we worked with in 2024.
Given that many of our largest suppliers sub-contract work to smaller businesses, the real number of Scottish businesses in our supply chain will likely be even higher once these indirect relationships are considered.
Projects featured in the report include the newly rebuilt control posts and the development of a new airport business park, projects supported by domestic suppliers and small businesses.
With many passengers on our routes to and from Scotland transferring at Heathrow as part of longer journeys, these upgrades play a key part in facilitating inwards and outward trade, investment and tourism from Scotland to global markets.
How to do business with Heathrow:
Heathrow is committed to helping businesses of all sizes from across the UK access its supply chain opportunities. Heathrow is set to invest £1.3bn in 2026, with plans to double that to £2bn from 2027, and with expansion on the horizon creating one of the largest infrastructure programmes in the UK, the opportunity for Scottish businesses has never been greater.
The report also covers our SME Academy, Lift Off and Meet the Buyer events, all of which are designed to make businesses aware of the opportunities available at Heathrow and to guide them through the process of getting onto our supply chain.
This year has already seen Heathrow host procurement events in Suffolk and South Wales and later this month our Business Summits go on the road for the first time, with an event in Newcastle on 30th April. Plans are afoot to hold further events later this year, including a Scottish summit in the autumn – watch this space.
