Flughafen Zuerich AG

SIX:FHZN

Q2-2025 Earnings Call

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the presentation of our company's half year results 2025. My name is Lukas Brosi, and I will be hosting this presentation together with Kevin Fleck, our CFO. I would like to remind you that the presentation is also available on our website.

Today's agenda is as follows: I will begin with a brief business update. Following that, Kevin will provide insights into our financial performance and share our outlook. At the end of the presentation, we will address your questions. Please submit your questions already during the presentation. This helps us organize them more efficiently. Stefan Weber will moderate the Q&A session.

Let me start with our milestones for the first half of the year 2025. In the first half of the year, Zurich Airport reached a new record with 15 million passengers. The network expanded to 206 destinations in the current summer timetable, including new long-haul routes to Seattle and Halifax. In spring, we initiated the process to determine future airport charges and the Federal Office of Civil Aviation approved our revised noise charges, which will become effective in the next charge period.

On the commercial side of the business, Airside turnover increased, supported by passenger growth and new luxury brands. Landside turnover was lower due to construction works. I will provide more detail on this later in the presentation.

Our Real Estate business has shown a solid performance since the start of the year. Internationally, Noida Airport in India is nearing launch with the anticipated start of commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2025. In Brazil, Florianopolis saw strong growth and was again named the country's best airport with Macae inaugurated a new runway.

In Zurich, Dock A replacement project is underway with preparatory works having started. In June, we have also secured long-term financing through a CHF 150 million debenture. Lastly, we have been active in driving innovation projects and making progress on our ESG goals.

Let's take a closer look at some key figures. The continued growth in passenger volume at the Zurich site as well as in foreign concessions led to a better overall result in the first half year compared to the prior year period. In the first 6 months, revenue, EBITDA and the consolidated result improved. It is the best first half year result in the company's history. Our CapEx has been substantially higher as well, mainly because of the acquisition of the Radisson Hotel building in Zurich.

Let's review our main business segments, beginning with the aviation business. Some highlights from the traffic development in Zurich were as follows: Passenger volume in the first half of 2025 is up 3% on the same period of the previous year. The passenger growth was driven mainly by Europe with plus 3%, with strong gains also from North America with plus 4% and Asia Pacific showing a strong recovery with plus 9%. Edelweiss and easyJet led passenger growth through added capacity with Cathay Pacific and Etihad also contributing. The seat load factor continues to remain on high levels, albeit slightly lower than in the previous year period.

Flight movements were also positive and climbed by 3%, in line with the growth in passenger volume. Around 2% more freight was handled in 2025 so far. As already mentioned, a total of 15 million passengers used Zurich Airport as a departure, transfer or destination airport in the first half of 2025. On peak days, passenger numbers exceeded 115,000, which marks also a new all-time high.

In March, Edelweiss celebrated a milestone with the landing of the first Swiss-registered Airbus A350 in Zurich. This occasion marked the beginning of the long-haul fleet modernization at SWISS and Edelweiss, which will help to reduce noise levels at Zurich Airport going forward. An A350 consumes approximately 25% less fuel, produces around 25% fewer carbon dioxide emissions and generates up to 50% lower noise emissions. Until 2031, SWISS and Edelweiss will introduce 16 of these modern jets to replace all the long-haul aircraft. Substantial investment by the Lufthansa Group demonstrate its long-term commitment to the Zurich hub.

In the following slides, we will give you an overview of our commercial and real estate business. Passenger growth in the first half of the year led to positive development in the airside center. The range of attractive products available was expanded with the Bulgari and Chanel Beauty brands as well as a new Haute Parfumerie. On Landside, there were restriction caused by construction work as part of the project to develop the Landside Passenger Zone. The Real Estate business again proved itself to be a solid business segment and an important pillar of business performance in the first half of 2025.

The Circle continued to strengthen its position as a successful business hub with the signing of several new contracts in the office and food and beverage segment. An important strategic step was the acquisition of the Radisson Blu building. With this acquisition, Zurich Airport is now the owner of all buildings within the central airport perimeter. Fair market value assessment showed that the property value significantly exceeds the purchase price, confirming a favorable acquisition.

As already mentioned before, Landside Commercial business shows lower turnovers due to the restrictions caused by construction work. However, with the development of the Landside Passenger Zone, the commercial space will increase by around 7,000 square meters. Overall, Commercial's turnover fell by 1% compared to the same period last year to CHF 295 million.

And last but not least, of the introduction, let's turn our attention to our International business. For our airport in Florianopolis, passenger numbers increased by around 15% compared to the same period last year. Especially strong was the increase in international passengers with a plus of 65%, making Florianopolis the third busiest airport in terms of international traffic in Brazil. Florianopolis faces a tough comparison base as traffic was diverted from Porto Alegre due to the floodings there 1 year ago.

The traffic figures in Vitoria and Macae also showed double-digit growth with plus 11%, also because there was -- there has been a capacity limit last year on flights to RIOgaleao, which has now been eased. Passenger numbers for Natal Airport were mostly trading in line with last year. At our airports in Chile, Antofagasta showed passenger growth of 6%, while passenger numbers at the Iquique remained on previous year levels.

Let me share some more highlights from our majority-owned airports in Latin America. Florianopolis has expanded its international and domestic network significantly with new seasonal flights or increased frequencies to Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Panama and Lima. In the domestic market, new direct flight to Brasilia and Porto Alegre are established.

Vitoria and Macae have achieved Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4, placing it on the same sustainability level as Florianopolis Airport, which has already achieved Level 4 at the beginning of the year. Real estate development is progressing in Vitoria with the opening of a new school and the church to be finalized within the next 8 months. In Macae, a new runway was inaugurated, which upgrades the airports category as it now allows landing and takeoff of larger aircraft. In Iquique, construction of the Northern Apron started in June. Also, a new international route to Bolivia was inaugurated.

Finally, I would also like to share an update on Noida. The first half of 2025 has seen strong progress across key infrastructure and operational areas. The application for the aerodrome license has been submitted and civil engineering works on the air side have been completed. Landside access is fully established and the new tower is ready for operational use. Looking ahead, activities for the operational readiness continue at full pace. Regulatory milestones with tariffs and aerodrome licensing are expected within the next few weeks. According to the current planning, the start of commercial operation is anticipated for the fourth quarter of 2025. Thereafter, a ramp-up phase is projected. The investor site visit in early November will be held as planned.

And before I hand over to Kevin Fleck for the insights into our financial performance and the outlook, we would like to show you a video about the progress in Noida.

[Presentation]

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

With this fantastic visual in mind, let's now turn to the financial performance. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome. Thank you for joining us. Let me start with a financial overview. Continued growth in passenger volumes in Zurich as well as in our foreign concessions have resulted in a record-breaking revenue, which is 2% above the previous year level. Aviation revenue grew slightly faster than passenger volume, rising by 4% from CHF 340 million to CHF 327 million. This is primarily due to stronger growth in local passenger numbers who pay higher fees than transfer passengers.

Non-aviation revenue declined in the first half of the year by 1% to CHF 313 million. Adjusted for concession accounting, this reflects an increase of CHF 6 million or 2%. EBITDA rose by 3% year-on-year to CHF 359 million. The EBITDA margin amounted to 56%. Overall, the consolidated result for the first half of the year rose by 6% to CHF 161 million.

Let's take a closer look at the non-aviation figures. Total commercial and parking revenue decreased slightly over the prior year period to CHF 132 million. The main reason for this development was the reduced retail offering in the Landside area due to construction work. Within Real Estate, revenue from rental and leasing agreements continued to rise, whereas energy and utility cost allocations were down. The decline in energy and utility cost allocations is mainly due to lower energy and waste costs that are passed on to tenants. Overall, real estate revenue in the first half of the year was practically at the same level as in the prior year period at CHF 98 million.

Revenue from services in the reporting period amounted to CHF 25 million, largely consistent with the prior year figure. The slight decline in revenue from the International Airport business from CHF 61 million to CHF 58 million is due to lower revenue from construction projects. Factoring out this income statement neutral concession accounting item, revenue in International business climbed by 14% or CHF 7 million.

Following a sharp rise in costs in the first half of 2024, the situation normalized in the course of the current financial year. All in all, operating expenses declined by 1% to CHF 282 million. Adjusted for concession accounting, OpEx were 3% up compared to the first half of the previous year.

Personnel expenses rose by 11% in the reporting period to CHF 132 million. Besides inflation and volume-related adjustments as well as measures to increase employer attractiveness, this rise also reflects the in-sourcing of services for passengers with reduced mobility. However, this is offset to the same extent by a reduction in other operating expenses.

Costs for police and security increased in line with passenger growth by 3% to CHF 66 million. As expected at the beginning of the year, energy and waste costs declined by 13% to CHF 19 million, mainly due to lower sourcing costs for electricity. To summarize, the cost situation has improved compared to 2024. However, we have started a project to make a detailed analysis of the cost structure and take measures to further improve our cost efficiency. We have a clear objective to claim back the operating leverage as of 2026.

I will now outline some key financial ratios. Net financial debt saw a slight increase. The leverage ratio also increased slightly to approximately 1.9x due to heavy investments. The increased earnings positively influenced our return on invested capital, which rose to 8%. Primarily due to the better consolidated results, operating cash flow increased to CHF 306 million. Higher investments, including the purchase of the Radisson Blu building impacted our free cash flow generation.

The next slide shows the largest projects we have been working on over the past 6 months. Zurich Airport invested a total of CHF 423 million, of which CHF 307 million were invested at the Zurich site. This includes the purchase of the Radisson Blu building for CHF 155 million. The single biggest project at the Zurich site was the development of the main airport complex, including the new Dock A. Other significant projects were the development of the Landside passenger area and the refurbishment and expansion of the baggage sorting system. Our most significant international project in the first half of 2025 was the development of Noida Airport. So let's proceed to the outlook.

First, I would like to provide an overview of the next steps regarding charge setting at Zurich Airport. The negotiations for the next charge period are scheduled to begin in October 2025 and are expected to last between 4 to 6 months. Depending on the outcome, the new charges will be implemented in 2026 or in 2027. Under the ordinance and airport charges, Zurich Airport is entitled to earn its cost of capital. In line with the 2020 agreement, which aimed to compensate for pandemic-related losses, the Regulated business currently generates a return above the cost of capital.

Looking ahead, substantial investments in aeronautical infrastructure will increase the Regulated asset base with the timing of these investments playing a key role in determining their impact on the next charge period. Given the current excess return, a moderate reduction in charges can be expected. However, thanks to the rollover mechanism, any over or underearning of capital costs will be balanced in future periods. It is important for us to highlight our commitments in process and cost efficiency as this underpins our ambition to remain one of Europe's most competitive airports.

We would also like to give you some more background on key projects we are currently working on in Zurich. The development of the Landside passenger zones will create space for the growing number of passengers and eliminate existing bottlenecks. The project will better connect the circle to the airport shopping via an underground passage. In total, the commercial space on the Landside will increase by around 7,000 square meters. Completion is expected towards the end of 2027. The renewal and expansion of the baggage sorting system is at an advanced stage. Key components were replaced and the system was upgraded to meet the new EU security standards. Completion is expected in 2027.

In the western area of the airport, we plan the construction of a new terminal building for business aviation passengers, including the associated infrastructure and apron area. Commissioning of the new infrastructure is scheduled for 2028. The Dock A replacement project is one of the most important infrastructure investments of the upcoming decade. In the first half of 2025, preparatory works began, including temporary bus gates and apron modifications. The investment into Dock A will exceed CHF 1 billion and is essential to maintain Zurich Airport's long-term capacity and quality standards. On top of this, there will be a number of additional projects such as the construction of the new tower and the Dock route. With this, let's move on to the guidance for this year.

Around 32 million passengers are expected at Zurich Airport in the current year, representing an estimated growth of 2.5%. Aviation revenues are expected to move in line with traffic growth and non-aviation revenue is expected to be slightly higher overall. Commercial revenue, although benefiting from slightly higher revenues from car parking is likely to fall. This is partly due to the temporary closure of commercial space as part of the project to develop the landside passenger zone. The negative impact amounts to a mid-single-digit million number.

Within Real Estate, revenue from rental and leasing agreements is forecast to rise slightly. Energy and utility cost allocations will have a dampening effect due to tariff reductions for electricity and district heating. Revenue from International business will see an increase. Operating costs are expected to be higher, mainly due to inflation-related adjustments, volume-related increases and measures to enhance employer attractiveness. Personnel expenses will increase more than average as a result of taking on services for passengers with reduced mobility, but this will be offset by lower other operating costs.

All in all, we expect EBITDA in 2025 to be slightly above the level of the previous year. Consolidated profit is projected to be on a similar level as in 2024. CapEx at Zurich side will amount to approximately CHF 500 million in 2025. Investments of an estimated CHF 250 million are expected at subsidiaries abroad with Noida accounting for the majority of this.

With this, I'm handing back to Lukas.

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

Thank you, Kevin. We have now reached the end of the result presentation, and we'll begin with the Q&A. I will now hand over to Stefan, who will moderate the session. Any questions, Stefan?

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Yes. Thank you. We have received a number of questions, and we directly jump in. The first one is on Noida. Can you please provide an update on opening of Noida? And how do you expect the traffic to ramp up in the next 2 to 3 years?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

What we can say from today's perspective is that the opening will be on a very -- on a higher likelihood as a planning base will be in Q4 this year. From today's perspective, we aim for an opening around the end of October, beginning of November, but this is not yet confirmed, but that's the current planning assumption. The impact on numbers, what we can provide so far is that we will have about 8 million passengers expected in the first year of operation, so in 2026.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

The next one is on the investments that are planned in Zurich. So there was an overview on the large-scale projects where we show that we will invest quite heavily into Regulated business as well. Could you please clarify on the split between Regulated and Nonregulated investments for Zurich?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

In the past, we heavily invested in the Nonregulated business, for instance, The Circle. Now for the next decade, we will invest more in the Regulated. So we expect the split of 1/3 into Nonregulated and 2/3 into the Regulated business. It will be approximately in total in Zurich, CHF 300 million to CHF 350 million per year as investment in CapEx.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

The next one is again on Noida. Back in 2023, at the Capital Markets Day, we showed the business plan. And for 2031, we were projecting an EBITDA contribution from Noida at approximately CHF 125 million. Is this still the right number? Or do we expect this to be lower as the Indian rupee is currently devaluating against the Swiss franc?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

The numbers we presented in the Capital Market Day are still valid. It's at the moment, simply a shift. We are still with the CHF 750 million as a total project budget and cost. And the depreciation of the Indian rupee was always part of the business plan. So the only thing which has changed is that the time line is a bit shifted into 2026 with EBITDA contribution, which we expect this year to be neutral. And then next year, as Lukas mentioned, those 8 million passengers.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Coming back to Zurich. You were talking about cost efficiency measures. What amount of savings are planned? And are you calculating with extra costs to implement these measures?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

I might start on this. The purpose of this review of the cost base that we are currently assessing is based on the fact that after COVID or within the ramp-up of COVID, we had a situation that the cost was disproportionately higher, increasing than the revenues. And that can be augmented by the effect of COVID as the volumes were faster than the cost. And then we went through a turning point where we had like a flattish development of the revenues or the passenger volumes, but like a spillover from the cost from ramping up. And this is something that we assess currently how to we can -- we go back to this operating leverage, which is an advantage. And we've been always very tight on cost management in the past. And therefore, we cannot give you a precise number, but we are working on that. I do not expect implementing cost for this whole project. It's rather like finding, again, the right balance between revenue growth and cost development rather than additional costs, which are linked to that.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then we have another 2 questions, again on Noida. The first one is on depreciation and financial charges, so the interest costs. What's the expected impact still for this year, but then also for the years to come?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

This year, we expect a very small impact on our EBIT and net profit. Going forward, it will be around CHF 25 million to CHF 30 million in depreciation and interest rate costs of CHF 45 million per year. So that's also the reason why we will see a net profit contribution of Noida in 2 to 3 years' time from now.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

There have been headlines that the canton of Zurich is actually looking to limit the number of car parking spaces. Is this potentially a threat to our Car Parking business?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

Not to my knowledge. The car parking development in Zurich airport, it's not a cantonal or local issue. That's something that we have to get the approval by the federal government, our regulator, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation as it's a demand-driven CapEx linked to that. We are planning an additional parking building. So I don't get the link between the developments in Zurich, which I don't see an impact to our plans here.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then a question related to the traffic guidance, which looks probably a bit conservative. Are you concerned that airlines pull back schedules?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

Not from today's perspective. We say that our expectation for the year is around 32 million passengers, which means it could be a little bit lower or a little bit higher. We will see in the second half as the second half of the year has a tougher comparison base. And given all the uncertainties on the geopolitical topics that we have to deal with, we stick to that guidance for the time being.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then one question related to the tariff or trading war. Do you see any negative impact from the U.S. tariffs that were raised for Switzerland's business?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

For our company, Zurich Airport, we do not have a direct impact. We potentially have an indirect impact if the economy itself would cool off. Right now, we have a share of approximately 9% of U.S. traffic. So there could be a slight dampening, but we do not expect a major impact from U.S. tariffs on our business right now.

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

What I personally expect or what we have seen in the past is even if we might see a slowdown in the demand for the U.S., as we have a large share of leisure travelers, people just go elsewhere to make it clear. So we don't expect like a significant volume effect in the main market that we serve in the leisure market.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then there was a slide on new aircraft joining Zurich. What percent of the new aircraft are planned as replacement? Or is it really about fleet expansion?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

No, it's mostly replacement. There will be, to my knowledge, 1 or 2 additional aircraft.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then a question related to costs. Other operating costs were down by 19%. What is the driver behind this cost decline?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

The main driver was the in-sourcing of the people with reduced mobility business. As mentioned, we are doing this ourselves since the beginning of this year. That was one of the main drivers why personnel costs increased, and we have the same effect then on the other operating costs, which are lower at the same extent. So no P&L effect.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Another question related to the charges in Zurich. What is the expected duration in years for the next tariff period? And any color on the expected WACC?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

The period will be -- we expect that to be 4 years, so '27 to close to 2030. Since we are right now in the starting of the negotiations, we unfortunately can't comment on WACC development.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then a question related to The Circle. How much revenue does The Circle actually generate?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

CHF 30 million to CHF 35 million per annum as this 51% share that belongs to us.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

And then the next one is on international CapEx. We previously guided for international investments of around CHF 300 million for 2025. It has now decreased to CHF 250 million. Is it just a phasing issue? Or is it because of the stronger Swiss franc or have the projects become cheaper?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

It's a phasing issue. As mentioned before, projects costs are still in line with what we guided. So it's not becoming cheaper. It's just due to the phasing.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then we have another question on CapEx here in Zurich. The number is now higher than initially planned also because it is including the Radisson acquisition. What else is currently driving the investments upwards?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

I mean, as mentioned before, we are investing in -- primarily in the Regulated business going forward. When we take the number we expect to invest in Zurich for the whole year and then discount the Radisson Hotel plus we made a land acquisition for the parking building Lukas just mentioned before, which we are planning. We are actually in line with what we initially guided. So the majority of investments are right now going into the Dock A project. Some of it is going to the extension of the Landside passenger zones. So those are the 2 main drivers. But apart from that, we have a lot of other projects going on in the company. So that's where we currently invest our money.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then there is one clarification question. Are you now expecting a moderate reduction in charges for the next charges period as a base case? And if yes, could you quantify how much that might be?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

The answer is yes, moderate tariff decrease for the next tariff period and for tactical reasons. As we are starting the negotiating, we are not further quantifying this -- the magnitude of the reduction.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

And then a more longer-term question. What are your expectations of growth from the main airlines in Zurich over the next years?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

What we see is that we have steady growth from SWISS. We have some above-average growth for Edelweiss. Carriers which are growing on a higher scale is easyJet, for instance, who improved their offering here in Zurich. Overall, we expect a growth of approximately 2% to 2.3% on a very long-term view here at Zurich Airport.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then there is one question linked to the commercial revenues. They are slightly depressed year-over-year. Were there any additional costs linked to the Radisson Blu acquisition that were now charged in H1?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

Sorry, could you please repeat the question?

[Stefan Weber, executive]

It's about the Commercial revenues. They are slightly depressed against the previous year. Is there any negative one-off related to the Radisson Blu acquisition? Is there a reason for this?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

No, it's not. It's actually 2 effects. One on the Landside is the shop closure around the construction of the extension of the Landside passenger zone. So that's one effect. And we did some construction work on the air side for the luxury passage with the cargo shop, which opened now in end of July. When we look at the spend per packs on the air side, we see good growth in food and beverage. We see also growth in duty-free. Where we had a dampening effect is on the luxury side due to the fact that we had some shops closed on the air side, but now they are open. Dior will open in the second half. So we expect there to be back on track on air side. And as soon as the new project, Landside passenger zones, is done with the plus 7,000 square meters, we expect a little boost there as well.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

And then there is another question on regulation. On the slide, we were talking about the investment phasing, which will matter for the charges. Could you please elaborate on the scenarios here? And again, is a moderate decline something in the low to mid-single-digit area?

[Kevin Fleck, executive]

I mean the drivers are, as you said, it's traffic growth, it's the investments we do in CapEx and there, specifically the timing when those CapEx investments will occur. To the question how moderate the reduction will be, we expect something of a mid-single-digit reduction, but we can't comment it any further since we are currently in the process of starting the negotiations.

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

And I would like to add an important point on that. The driver for a tariff decrease is mainly the over-earning situation that we are currently in. We currently have about 8% of revenues compared to the allowed return, which I would say is one of the highest regulated return across Europe. And that's basically the driver of a moderate reduction that we expect for the next tariff period, which, on the other hand, improves our competitive situation as we see that airports which are not covering their cost of capital have to increase the tariff. So that's an advantage in terms of the competitive situation of Zurich.

And last but not least, and really important to understand and to mention is that from the next tariff period onwards, we have the rollover mechanism. So whatever we end up after this 4 year, Kevin has mentioned, if we are having an over-earning or an under-earning situation, this can be rolled over into the next period. And that's really, I would say, unique and an advantage. And therefore, it doesn't matter in a longer perspective how much this tariff decrease at the end would be on the percentage number.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Then we have one more question on the investments related to the baggage sorting system. So the refurbishment work should be completed by 2027. Will there be an incremental fee charged after completion as there has also been an increase back in 2024?

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

No, not as a one-off. This goes into the calculation of the new tariff, whatever we invest into the remaining works in the baggage sorting system.

[Stefan Weber, executive]

Okay. That was all of the questions. In case we missed any of your questions, then please do not hesitate to reach out to the IR team.

[Lukas Brosi, executive]

Thank you for the questions. They were also moderate in my view this time. And last but not least, I would like to inform you that there is also a change in our Investor Relations team. As you may know, Marcel Heinzer has taken over a new international role within our company as Chief Financial Officer of Zurich Airport in Brazil. And Dominic Iseli joined in August as a successor of Marcel Heinzer from Edelweiss and will be responsible for Investor Relations and Treasury matters. He will support Stefan Weber in managing our interactions with the analysts and the investor community from now on.

And so we have reached the end of the conference call. Thank you very much for your trust in our company, your attending of the conference call, and have a nice day. Thank you.