Key stakeholders in the region respond to the High Court confirming the go-ahead for Bristol Airport’s expanded capacity

Lee Nathan, FSB Regional Chairman, said:

“In a time of continuing economic uncertainty for SMEs in our region, the sustainable growth of our regional gateway has never been more important – with international links providing opportunities for new jobs, trade, tourism, and investment from overseas.

 The small business community is fully committed to the sustainability agenda and we very much respect all the various views about these plans but we believe Bristol Airport put forward a strong case that they will be able to realise their ambitions while staying on course to be net zero in their operations by 2030.”

 

Ben Rhodes, CBI South West Regional Director, said:

“Bristol Airport’s expanded capacity will open up new markets for the South West’s world class businesses, with new direct connections and improved frequency to key European cities.

As one of our region’s largest private sector employers, we look forward to Bristol Airport creating thousands of new jobs and boosting the South West’s productivity.”

 

Kathryn Davis, Director of Tourism, Visit West, said:

“This year is when we hope to see further recovery of inbound tourism. Bristol Airport is the West of England’s international gateway, providing direct access to one of the UK’s most beautiful areas and its diverse visitor experiences that make the region so popular. 

The visitor economy is of huge importance to our region, worth more than £2.33 billion, supporting around 45,000 jobs and welcoming more than 1million visiting from overseas before the pandemic hit.”

 

Phil Smith, Managing Director of Business West, said:

“Business West welcomes this confirmation of Bristol Airport’s expanded capacity. We have strongly supported Bristol Airport’s commitment to net zero operations and we will continue to work in partnership with them to accelerate the decarbonisation of flight through the Hydrogen South West consortium.

The long-term success of our region’s key global gateway is essential for making Bristol and the West of the UK a place of choice for people to visit, live, learn, and invest.“