Plans to connect your local airport to the world

We’ve submitted plans to make your local airport even better by improving your experience when you visit and providing new exciting destinations across Europe and around the world.

Our proposed multi-million-pound investment would enable connections to more destinations, including world cities within Europe and beyond, with a limited number of new longer-haul flights to North America, the Middle East, with connections to Asia.

These plans would benefit travellers, the tourism sector and local businesses. Around 1,000 new local jobs would be available onsite - from engineers and airline crew to retail assistants and caterers - and 36,000 supported indirectly through, for example, the local supply chain.

Fewer people would need to rely on travelling to London Airports and instead could explore places further afield from their local airport. It would also enable businesses to reach new markets and the tourism sector to benefit from more international visitors exploring our region.

What's involved?

Our proposals include the following:

• A larger terminal with more space, more shops and restaurants. A bigger immigration hall and baggage handling facilities.
• Runway and taxiway improvements incorporating changes to approach lights to allow for larger aircraft to connect the region directly with North America and the Middle East.
• Customer improvements including travelators to help passengers get to their gates and the ability to walk to and from aircraft without catching a bus.
• Significant increase in the number of passengers travelling by public transport alongside additional car parking spaces.
• Highway improvements on the A38, and a new bus lane making travel more reliable between the north and south side.
• Expanded car hire facility - to serve the increase in inbound visitors and business travellers.
• A maintenance hangar - creating high-skill jobs and preventing the need for aircraft based at Bristol Airport to fly elsewhere for maintenance.

Meeting future demand

As part of the plans, we are applying for permission to increase the current passenger cap of 12 million passengers a year to 15 million, which we expect to reach in the late 2030s.  Currently 10.8 million people use Bristol Airport.  
 
Aircraft movements would increase from 85,990 to 100,000 per year in the longer term to meet demand for air travel. On a busy day in peak period this would result in 35 extra aircraft movements. While night flying restrictions would remain, we are proposing to increase night flights by 1,000 - on average, that’s four more flights on a busy night. 
 
We have worked closely with airlines to introduce even more modern, quieter aircraft to the Airport.  We already have around 50% of these aircraft based at the Airport - one of the highest proportion among all UK airports.
 
Under the proposals, targets would see 1 in 4 people using public transport to travel to and from the airport; junction improvements and a new bus lane on the A38; and more public bus routes - utilising the Airport’s new £60m Public Transport Interchange. 
 
It is expected there would be an additional 3 million passengers per year using the airport by the late 2030s, which can be delivered within the UK’s climate change obligations. The increase of 3 million passengers per annum, equates to 1% of the total number of passenger journeys made through UK airports in the last year. The Airport's plans deliver the clear ambition set out in Government aviation policy, making best use of existing runways to deliver significant economic growth.

Find out more

We’ve submitted our plans, which includes a full range of impact assessments and consultation analysis, to North Somerset Council. You can read the full planning application and give your views on North Somerset Council's website. Planning reference: 26/P/0686/OU2.

The council will consider comments before a decision is made later this year.

There is more information about our previous planning applications and current investment projects on our website. You can read the full news story here.