News Release (18/01/12)
Passenger numbers at Bristol Airport rose for the second successive year in 2011, with volumes up 0.8 per cent compared to 2010.
A total of 5.7 million passengers used Bristol Airport over the course of the year, including a record September which saw 610,000 people pass through the terminal. December also saw a significant gain (8.8 per cent) over the same month in 2010, driven by a double digit increase (10.8 per cent) in scheduled international traffic.
New airlines making their first appearance at Bristol Airport in 2011 included Blue Islands (to Jersey) and Helvetic Airways (to Zurich). Aer Lingus also launched three daily flights to Dublin, with onward connections to four US destinations, while KLM added a fourth daily flight to its Amsterdam hub.
Bristol Airport’s growth compared favourably to competitor airports across the South West and Wales, and Bristol continues to grow its market share within the region.
The rise in passengers at Bristol Airport was achieved with fewer flights, with the total number of air transport movements down by 4.1 per cent – a decrease of almost 3,000. This indicates airlines are operating with high load factors on larger aircraft, maximizing environmental efficiency.
Shaun Browne, Aviation Director at Bristol Airport, said:
“Despite challenging conditions in the aviation sector and the wider economy, Bristol Airport maintained its position as the UK’s fifth largest airport outside London. We saw signs of recovery in the business travel market, and tour operators and airlines continued to offer great value flight and holiday options. We expect these trends to continue throughout 2012, and forecast a third successive year of growth.”
“Our key targets remain securing services to Germany and Scandinavia, and we will continue making the business case for these vital links in our discussions with existing and potential airline partners.”
Work began on the construction of three new aircraft stands in November 2011 – the first phase of development plans which, when completed, will enable the Airport to handle 10 million passengers per annum. Additional capacity is also being added to the security search area ahead of the summer season to ensure the efficiency of this vital process is maintained during peak travel periods.