Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

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October 24, 2025

Key Takeaways

  • Positive Sentiment: Passenger traffic rose 8% YoY to 7.6 million in 3Q25 (seat capacity +11%), with domestic +7% driven by Monterrey routes and international +11% growth.
  • Positive Sentiment: Aeronautical and non‑aeronautical revenues grew ~9.8% to Ps3.5bn, adjusted EBITDA increased 9% to Ps2.7bn (margin 74.8%), net income was Ps1.5bn (+9.1%), and cash stood at Ps4.4bn with net debt/EBITDA of 0.9x.
  • Negative Sentiment: Operating costs climbed materially—payroll +10.7%, contracted services +16.4%, other costs +22% and minor maintenance +19.8%—and financing expense rose 9.8%, creating near‑term margin pressure.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Commercial revenue per passenger contracted for the first time since early 2023 (management attributes this to one‑time prior‑year items) and expects a gradual recovery in line with inflation.
  • Positive Sentiment: OMA submitted its proposed 2026–2030 Master Development Program, expects a December resolution, plans MDP investment similar in real terms to the prior cycle with about half focused on Monterrey and a maximum tariff increase in the low single digits.
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Earnings Conference Call
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte Q3 2025
00:00 / 00:00

Transcript Sections

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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 OMA. Thank you. You may begin.

Emmanuel Camacho
Emmanuel Camacho
Investor Relations Officer at Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte

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
Ricardo Dueñas
CEO at 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.

Ricardo Dueñas
Ricardo Dueñas
CEO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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 MXN 60. 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.

Ricardo Dueñas
Ricardo Dueñas
CEO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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 MXN 2.7 billion, 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 MXN 472 million. 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.

Ricardo Dueñas
Ricardo Dueñas
CEO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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.

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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%.

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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 MXN 3.5 billion in the quarter. Construction revenues amounted to MXN 382 million 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.

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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 MXN 280 million, in line with revenue growth. Major maintenance provision was MXN 28 million, as compared to MXN 75 million in the same quarter of last year. OMA's third quarter adjusted EBITDA grew 9.0% to MXN 2.7 billion, and adjusted EBITDA margin reached 74.8%. Our financing expense increased by 9.8% to MXN 299 million, mainly driven by higher interest expense as a result of higher average debt levels. Consolidated net income was MXN 1.5 billion in the quarter, an increase of 9.1% versus the same quarter of last year.

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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

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.

Pablo Ricalde
VP of Equity Research at Itaú

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.

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

Okay, let me see. Do you understand?

Pablo Ricalde
VP of Equity Research at Itaú

Can you hear me?

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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.

Pablo Ricalde
VP of Equity Research at Itaú

Okay, perfect. Thanks.

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.

Enrique Cantu
Analyst at DBM

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?

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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.

Enrique Cantu
Analyst at DBM

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?

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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

Enrique Cantu
Analyst at DBM

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?

Ruffo Pliego
Ruffo Pliego
CFO at Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte

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.

Enrique Cantu
Analyst at DBM

Perfect. Thank you very much.

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.

Gabriel Himelfarb
Gabriel Himelfarb
Equity Research Associate Director at Scotiabank

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
Ricardo Dueñas
CEO at 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.

Gabriel Himelfarb
Gabriel Himelfarb
Equity Research Associate Director at Scotiabank

Okay, thank you.

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
Ricardo Dueñas
CEO at 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.

Operator

Thank you. This concludes today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

Executives
    • Ricardo Dueñas
      Ricardo Dueñas
      CEO
    • Ruffo Pliego
      Ruffo Pliego
      CFO
Analysts
    • Enrique Cantu
      Analyst at DBM
    • Pablo Ricalde
      VP of Equity Research at Itaú
    • Emmanuel Camacho
      Investor Relations Officer at Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte
    • Gabriel Himelfarb
      Equity Research Associate Director at Scotiabank
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