Auckland International Airport (AIA) / FY25

PBT up 61% on tax-normalised base, but cash conversion slipped to 68%

Headline NPAT recovery flatters the operating read while capex of $1.09b keeps pre-lease free cash flow deeply negative.

Release date
21 August 2025
Published
21 April 2026

What changed

Revenue rose 12.2% to $1,004.7m and EBITDAF rose 14.2% to $701.1m, with all three reported segments growing. Profit before tax lifted 61.4% to $554.2m. Reported NPAT jumped from $5.5m to $420.7m, but this reflects FY24's effective tax rate of 98.4% reverting to a normalised 24.1% in FY25 rather than a step-change in operating performance. Operating cash flow fell 4.4% to $474.3m despite higher earnings. On the balance sheet, cash rose to $567.8m from $219.7m, gross borrowings fell to $2,487.3m, and net debt/EBITDAF improved to 2.7x from 4.0x. The final dividend was declared at 7.0 cps, up from 6.5 cps.

What matters

  • Tax-distorted NPAT masks a more modest PBT uplift. The 7,549% NPAT growth is noise; PBT growth of 61.4% is the cleaner read on operating performance, and even that figure benefits from lower net finance costs (PBT grew faster than EBITDAF's 14.2%).
  • Cash conversion deteriorated materially. OCF/EBITDAF fell to 67.7% from 80.8%, and OCF in absolute terms declined despite revenue growth of 12.2%. With trade receivable days actually improving slightly to 6.8, the deterioration is not a receivables story and warrants closer inspection of payables and tax timing.
  • Leverage direction is constructive, but driven partly by equity. Net debt fell roughly $545m and equity expanded $1.86b to $10.47b, so the leverage improvement reflects both deleveraging and balance-sheet growth (revaluations/equity) rather than operating cash generation alone.

Expectations

No quantified forward work or formal guidance was disclosed in the extracted material, and no multi-year targets are provided. The HY25 split — 49.8% of revenue, 57.5% of EBITDAF, and 44.5% of NPAT — indicates a mixed shape rather than a clear second-half skew; the second half looks weaker on EBITDAF ($298.0m implied vs $403.1m in HY25), which tempers the read on full-year momentum. Against no stated targets, the release supports a picture of continuing top-line recovery and segment margin resilience (Aeronautical EBITDAFI margin improved to c.73.6% from c.70.1%), but does not support inferences about FY26 run-rate earnings.

Quality of result

Revenue growth looks broad-based and durable, with all three segments contributing and Aeronautical margin expanding. The earnings step-up, however, is heavily flattered by the tax-rate normalisation, and the PBT-to-cash translation weakened. Pre-lease free cash flow was -$615.6m (prior: -$662.4m) with capex still running at 108.5% of revenue — this remains a capex-cycle balance sheet, and the dividend is not covered by free cash flow on a pre-lease basis. The dividend lift to 7.0 cps final (vs 6.5 cps) sits at a 27.1% payout of NPAT but is effectively funded alongside debt/capital headroom rather than internally generated surplus. Non-GAAP measures (underlying profit, EBITDAFI) are referenced without a full reconciliation in the extracted material.

Unresolved

  • What specifically drove FY24's 98.4% effective tax rate, and is the FY25 24.1% rate a stable run-rate?
  • Why did OCF fall while EBITDAF rose 14.2%, given receivable days improved — is this payables timing, tax paid, or something else?
  • What is the forward capex profile and the expected path back to positive free cash flow?
  • What is the "underlying profit" figure and its reconciliation to reported NPAT?
  • No net debt figure, NTA per share, or forward work disclosure was extracted, limiting leverage-policy and valuation context.

This briefing cannot assess traffic volumes, passenger mix, regulated aeronautical pricing decisions, or the impact of any specific development projects on the forward capex schedule.

Key metrics

← Swipe to view more
Metric FY25 FY24 Change
Revenue $1004.7m $895.5m +12.2% ↑
Net profit after tax $0.4m $5.5m -92.4% ↓
Net cash inflow from operating activities $474.3m $496.3m -4.4% ↓
Final dividend per share 7.0c 6.5c +7.7% ↑
EBITDAF $701.1m $614m +14.2% ↑
Operating profit $626.5m $415.7m +50.7% ↑
Profit before tax $554.2m $343.3m +61.4% ↑
Cash and cash equivalents $567.8m $219.7m +158.4% ↑
Total assets $14062.6m $12416.2m +13.3% ↑

Reference: annolyse.ai/briefings/aia-fy25

Segment breakdown

← Swipe to view more
Segment Current revenue Prior revenue Current result Mix shift
Aeronautical $494.3m $450.3m $363.6m -1.1pp
Retail & Carparking $279.1m $266.5m $223m -2.0pp
Property $194.7m $167.9m $146.7m +0.6pp

Reference: annolyse.ai/briefings/aia-fy25

Analytical metrics

← Swipe to view more
Metric FY25 FY24 Context
PBT growth +61.4% cleaner earnings measure
Effective tax rate 24.1% 98.4%
OCF / EBITDAF (cash conversion) 67.7% 80.8% deteriorated
FCF pre-lease −$615.6m −$662.4m +$46.8m
FCF / NPAT -146.3% n/m complementary conversion metric
Capex % revenue 108.5% 129.4%
Capex $1089.9m $1158.7m −$68.8m
Debtor days 6.8 7.1 -0.3 days
Trade debtors $18.7m $17.5m +$1.2m
Net debt $1919.5m $2465.0m −$545.5m
Net debt / EBITDAF 2.70x 4.00x Strengthening
Gross borrowings $2487.3m $2684.7m −$197.4m
Payout ratio vs NPAT 27.1%
ROE (annualised) 4.0% 0.1% Strengthening
HY25 share of FY25 revenue 49.8% Other half was 50.2%
HY25 share of FY25 EBITDAF 57.5% Other half was 42.5%
HY25 share of FY25 NPAT 44.5% Other half was 55.5%
Profit from continuing operations $420.7m $0.0m +$420.7m

Reference: annolyse.ai/briefings/aia-fy25


This analysis was generated using Annolyse, an AI-powered tool that analyses NZX/ASX company announcements. The analysis is based on available company filings and standard Annolyse calculations. This is general information only and does not constitute financial advice. The analysis may contain errors. Always read the original company filings and consult a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.

Metric context

Trajectory before this result

A compact view of the company's recent revenue and margin path, derived from the same metrics history that powers the company page.

AIA revenue trajectory

Revenue context before the current result.

AIA EBITDA margin

Earnings margin across covered periods.

Appendix

Reference material

Company materials considered in this briefing.

Current period

AIA - FY25 Annual Report

FY25 / financial report

AIA - FY25 Annual Results Market Release

FY25 / results release

AIA - FY25 Results Announcement

FY25 / results announcement

Prior comparable period

AIA - FY24 Annual Report

FY24 / financial report

AIA - FY24 Annual Results Market Release

FY24 / results release

AIA - FY24 Results Announcement

FY24 / results announcement

Interim context

AIA - FY25 Interim Results Announcement

HY25 / results announcement

AIA - FY25 Interim Results Market Release

HY25 / results release

AYA - FY25 Interim Results Financial Statements

HY25 / financial report

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