Luton airport owner Aena sees limited impact from Brexit vote

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish airport operator Aena , which has a majority stake in London's Luton airport, said on Tuesday it expected only a limited and short-term impact from Britain's vote to leave the European Union on demand from UK passengers. The company, which also reported a slightly higher-than-expected net profit for the first half of the year, said falls in the pound sterling could cause a slight fall-off in British passengers using its airports. Aena, which owns 51 percent of Luton, said that so far passenger traffic in Luton was up sharply, rising 20.6 percent in the first six months of 2016 from a year earlier. It added that Luton could also benefit from the Brexit vote if it meant plans to expand other London airports were put on hold. Aena's net profit for the first half came in at 492 million euros, up nearly 79 percent on last year and slightly above forecasts of 451 million euros. (Reporting by Sarah White; editing by Adrian Croft)