Earnings call transcript: Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte reports Q3 2025 growth

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMAB), a leading airport operator in Mexico, reported a solid performance for the third quarter of 2025. The company saw a notable increase in revenues and net income, driven by strong passenger traffic and operational efficiency. The stock closed at $102.46, marking a slight increase of 0.05% from the previous session. With a market capitalization of $4.95 billion and an impressive year-to-date return of 55.41%, OMAB has established itself as a prominent player in the Transportation Infrastructure industry. According to InvestingPro data, the company maintains a "GREAT" financial health score of 3.32 out of 5.

Key Takeaways

• Total revenues grew by 9.8% to 3.5 billion pesos.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased by 9% with a margin of 74.8%.
• Passenger traffic rose by 8%, bolstered by both domestic and international growth.
• The company submitted its Master Development Program for 2026-2030.

Company Performance

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte experienced robust growth in Q3 2025, with significant improvements across financial and operational metrics. The company benefited from increased passenger traffic and a strong route network, which contributed to higher revenues and profitability. The focus on expanding the Monterrey airport and enhancing commercial space occupancy further solidified its competitive position in the market.

Financial Highlights

• Revenue: 3.5 billion pesos, up 9.8% year-over-year.
• Adjusted EBITDA: 2.7 billion pesos, a 9% increase.
• EBITDA margin: 74.8%.
• Consolidated net income: 1.5 billion pesos, up 9.1% year-over-year.
• Cash from operations: 1.9 billion pesos.
• Total debt: 13.6 billion pesos, with a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 0.9x.

Outlook & Guidance

Looking ahead, Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte expects traffic growth of 7-8% for 2025 and low to mid-single digits for 2026. The company plans to continue its investments in infrastructure, technology, and sustainability projects as part of its Master Development Program. A resolution on the program is anticipated by December. Trading at a P/E ratio of 17.55, InvestingPro analysis suggests the stock is currently trading near its Fair Value, with analysts maintaining mixed views on its future potential.

Executive Commentary

CEO Ricardo Dueñas emphasized the company’s focus on international expansion, stating, "We’re always looking for opportunities to expand internationally." Meanwhile, CFO Ruffo Pérez Pliego highlighted the company’s cost-conscious approach, saying, "It’s part of the history of the company to be very cost-conscious."

Risks and Challenges

• Economic fluctuations could impact passenger traffic and revenue.
• Regulatory changes may affect operational strategies and financial performance.
• Competitive pressures from other airport operators could impact market share.
• Potential cost increases related to infrastructure and technology investments.

Q&A

During the earnings call, analysts raised questions about traffic expectations, commercial revenue per passenger, and cost pressures. Enrique Cantu from DBM inquired about the decline in commercial revenue per passenger, while Gabriel Himmelfarb from Scotiabank explored capital allocation strategies and potential international expansion.

Full transcript - Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte SAB de CV (OMAB) Q3 2025:

Conference Operator: Call mode third quarter 2025 earnings call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. If anyone should require operator assistance during the conference, please press star zero on your telephone keypad. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to your host, Emmanuel Camacho, Investor Relations Officer for Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte. Thank you. You may begin.

Emmanuel Camacho, Investor Relations Officer, OMA: Thank you, Melissa. Hello, everyone, and welcome to OMA’s third quarter 2025 earnings conference call. We’re delighted to have you join us today as we discuss our company’s performance and financial results for the past quarter. Joining us today are CEO Ricardo Dueñas, and CFO Ruffo Pérez Pliego. Please be reminded that certain statements made during the course of our discussion today may constitute forward-looking statements to increase management expectations and responding to the number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be unnecessary, including factors that may be beyond our control. Now, I’ll turn the call over to Ricardo Dueñas for his opening remarks.

Ricardo Dueñas, CEO, OMA (Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte): Thank you, Emmanuel. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. This morning, Ruffo and I will review our operational performance and financial results, and finally, we will be pleased to answer your questions. In the third quarter of this year, OMA’s passenger traffic totaled 7.6 million passengers, an 8% increase year over year. Seat capacity increased by 11% during the quarter. On the domestic front, passenger traffic grew by 7%, driven primarily by the Monterrey Airport, which saw increases on routes to the metropolitan area of Mexico City, mainly to Toluca Airport, Bajio, Puerto Vallarta, Mérida, and Querétaro. These routes collectively added over 300,000 passengers during the quarter, representing 68% of the total domestic passenger growth.

International passenger traffic increased by 11%, mainly driven by Monterrey on the route to San Francisco, San Luis Potosí, with higher traffic on the routes to Atlanta and Dallas, and Tampico on the route to Dallas. Together, these routes added more than 47,000 passengers during the quarter, accounting for 46% of the total international passenger growth. Moving on to OMA’s third quarter financial highlights, aeronautical revenues increased 11%, with aeronautical revenue per passenger rising 3% in the quarter. Commercial revenues grew by 7% compared to the third quarter of 2024, and commercial revenue per passenger stood at 60 pesos. Commercial revenue growth was mainly driven by parking, restaurants, VIP lounges, and retail, mainly as a result of higher penetration and an increase in passenger traffic. Occupancy rate for commercial space stood at 96% at the end of the quarter.

On the diversification front, revenues increased 8%, with industrial services contributing most of this growth, mainly because of additional square meters leased in our industrial park as compared to the third quarter of 2024 and contractual increases to rents. OMA’s third quarter adjusted EBITDA increased by 9% to 2.7 billion pesos, with a margin of 74.8%. On the capital expenditures front, total investments in the quarter, including MDP investments, major maintenance, and strategic investments, were 472 million pesos. Finally, in relation to the negotiation process of our next Master Development Program discussion with the AFAC, we remain underway. We submitted our proposed Master Development Program for the 2026/2030 period at the end of June, and the process remains on track. During the quarter, we continued addressing AFAC’s technical observations and advancing the validation of investment projects in accordance with the schedule agreed with the authority.

We continue to expect the final resolution and publication of results during December. Our expectations regarding the overall investment level remain at committed levels of MDP investment, similar in real terms to the level of the previous 2021/2025 MDP, and maximum tariff increase in the low single digits. I would now like to turn the call over to Ruffo Pérez Pliego, who will discuss our financial highlights for the quarter.

Emmanuel Camacho, Investor Relations Officer, OMA: Thank you, Ricardo, and good morning, everyone. I will briefly go over our financial results for the quarter, and then we will open the call for your questions. Aeronautical revenues increased 10.6% relative to 3Q2024, mainly due to the increase in passenger traffic, as well as higher aeronautical yields. Non-aeronautical revenues increased 7.3%. Commercial revenues increased 7.0%. The line items with the highest growth were parking, restaurants, VIP lounges, and retail. Parking grew by 9.4%, mainly as a result of higher passenger traffic. Restaurants and retail increased 9.8% and 8.2%, respectively, both driven by higher passenger traffic as well as the previously opened or replaced outlets. VIP lounges rose 9.9%, mainly due to higher market penetration, primarily in Monterrey, as well as the increase in passenger traffic. Diversification activities increased 8.2%.

Industrial services, which relates to the operation of the industrial park, contributed most to the growth in the quarter, increasing by 53%, resulting from higher square meters leased as compared to the third quarter of 2024, as well as contractual rent increases. Total aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenues grew 9.8% to $3.5 billion pesos in the quarter. Construction revenues amounted to $382 million pesos in the third quarter. The cost of airport services and G&A expense increased 14.4% versus 3Q2024, primarily due to the following line items. Payroll grew by 10.7%, mainly as a result of annual wage increases, as well as higher headcount as compared to the third quarter of 2024. Other costs and expenses increased by 22%, due primarily to higher IT-related requirements and transportation services.

Contracted services expense rose 16.4%, mainly due to higher costs of security and cleaning services following contract renewals in prior quarters, reflecting the inflationary pressures and tight labor market conditions in Mexico. Minor maintenance increased 19.8%, primarily due to the timing effect of the works performed. Concession tax increased by 10.4% to $280 million pesos, in line with revenue growth. Major maintenance provision was $28 million pesos, as compared to $75 million in the same quarter of last year. OMA’s third quarter adjusted EBITDA grew 9.0% to $2.7 billion pesos, and adjusted EBITDA margin reached 74.8%. Our financing expense increased by 9.8% to $299 million pesos, mainly driven by higher interest expense as a result of higher average debt levels. Consolidated net income was $1.5 billion pesos in the quarter, an increase of 9.1% versus the same quarter of last year.

Turning to our cash position, cash generated from operating activities in the third quarter amounted to $1.9 billion pesos, and investing and financing activities used cash for $480 million pesos and $365 million, respectively. As a result, our cash position at the end of the quarter stood at $4.4 billion pesos. At the end of September, total debt amounted to $13.6 billion, and we maintained a solid financial position, ending the quarter with a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 0.9 times. This concludes our prepared remarks. Melissa, please open the call for questions.

Conference Operator: Thank you. If you’d like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star two if you’d like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. Our first question comes from the line of Pablo Ricalde with Itaú. Please proceed with your question.

Hi, good morning, OMA team. I have one question regarding your traffic expectations, maybe for the fourth quarter, and maybe your early thoughts on 2026, taking into account the roll up.

Emmanuel Camacho, Investor Relations Officer, OMA: Okay, let me see. Do you understand?

Can you hear me?

Thank you, Pablo. We’re looking for the rest of the year to finish in our traffic overall for the year between 7% and 8% growth. Our expectation at this point in time for next year is traffic to be in the low to mid-single digits for next year’s growth.

Okay, perfect. Thanks.

Conference Operator: Thank you. Once again, if you’d like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. Our next question comes from the line of Enrique Cantu with DBM. Please proceed with your question.

Hi, thank you for the call and for your time. I have a quick question. Commercial revenue per passenger decline is quite there. The first contraction since early 2023. Could you elaborate on the main drivers behind this softness, and how do you plan to re-accelerate this non-aerial growth?

Emmanuel Camacho, Investor Relations Officer, OMA: Hi, Enrique. Commercial revenue per passenger mainly reflects, in the quarter, the impact of one-time revenues recorded in the previous year. In the following quarters, we expect commercial revenues per passenger to gradually increase, in line with inflation from current levels.

Okay, perfect. Just another one, if I may. AG&E and utility costs rose this quarter, eroding margins despite a strong top-line growth. Do you view these cost pressures as temporary, or should we expect a structurally higher cost phase heading into 2026?

Sorry, could you repeat that? Maybe you’re too close to the microphone.

Yeah, sorry. It’s regarding AG&E and utility costs. We saw that this quarter they erode margins. Do you view these cost pressures as temporary, or should we expect this higher cost phase heading into 2026?

Yes, as we mentioned, there are some specific line items that are facing some pressures, like cleaning and security, where the total level of cost in the following quarters should be similar to the level of cost that we are facing right now. However, we do have a started to analyze different alternatives to continue maintaining cost at check, and it’s part of the history of the company to be very cost-conscious, and we expect pressures not to be permanent.

Perfect. Thank you very much.

Conference Operator: Thank you. Once again, it’s star one to join the question queue. Our next question comes from the line of Gabriel Himmelfarb with Scotiabank. Please proceed with your question.

Hi, good morning. Thanks for the call. A quick question on capital allocation. First, for the next MDP, I think you have mentioned that almost all the capital will go to Monterrey. It will be focused on perhaps increasing the capacity of the airport or developing more the commercial space of the commercial portion of the business. My second question, are you seeking or have you considered, you know, expanding OMA’s portfolio towards outside Mexico? Thank you.

Ricardo Dueñas, CEO, OMA (Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte): Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Gabriel. Regarding the last part, we’re always looking for opportunities to expand internationally. At this point in time, we don’t have a concrete transaction that we could share. In terms of the MDP, it’s around half of the MDP will be allocated to Monterrey, given that half of the traffic is allocated in Monterrey. We’re looking to expand in most of the capacity that will generate commercial opportunities as well. There’s pavement, there’s technology, there’s environmental and sustainability projects as well.

Okay, thank you.

Conference Operator: Thank you. There are no questions at this time. I’ll turn the floor back to Mr. Dueñas for any final comments.

Ricardo Dueñas, CEO, OMA (Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte): We would like to thank you, everyone, for participating in today’s call. We appreciate your insightful questions, engagement, and continued support. Ruffo, Emmanuel, and I remain available should you have any further questions or require additional information. Thank you once again, and have a great day.

Conference Operator: Thank you. This concludes today’s teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

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