Heathrow says support for a third runway is growing as it reveals an increase in passenger numbers for the first nine months of the year.
The airline saw almost a million more passengers to the end of September, to a total of 55.7 million.
Profits fell during the period from £266 million to £58 million, largely due to the one-off gain registered by the sale of Stansted Airport last year, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "Heathrow expansion is increasingly being seen as not only the best option to keep Britain at the heart of the global economy, but also as politically deliverable, with growing support from local communities, politicians and businesses across the UK."
The airport says a new runway would increase capacity from 480,000 flights a year to 740,000, and increase passenger capacity from 80 million to 130 million.
It expects to spend £5 million this year on costs associated with its bid to build a third runway.
