Bristol Airport is riding high this summer, having recorded its busiest season yet. In 2024, it handled an astonishing 10.6 million passengers, marking a notable jump from the previous year. As part of a dynamic five-year, £400 million development programme, the airport is expanding capacity to serve up to 12 million passengers annually. Projects include a refurbished Air Traffic Control tower, enhanced terminal facilities, and a brand-new Public Transport Interchange (PTI), unveiled this July.
(Information from NATS & airport updates.)
Smart hiring boosts operations and customer experience. To support the surging traffic, Bristol Airport embraced a recruitment spree—adding more than 400 new staff across retail, operations, engineering, and sustainability. This brings total employment to over 5,500, ensuring service and efficiency stay top-notch.
Eco-friendly transport takes centre stage. A cornerstone of Bristol’s sustainability push is the expansion of its airport bus network. The A1 Airport Flyer alone carried over 1 million passengers in 2024—a year-on-year increase of around 44%—while the A3 Weston Flyer served nearly 300,000 travellers. Last month, usage reached another high, with 117,000 on the A1 and 17,500 on the A3. Moreover, the newly launched A4 Air Decker from Bath rounds out the trio of free bus options for staff, all aimed at cutting car journeys and curbing emissions. The new PTI, costing £60 million and now operational, has already scaled to support some 250 public transport movements daily, offering sleek and sustainable access to the terminal.
New routes open fresh horizons. Summer 2025 saw the arrival of exciting new direct flights—Zurich (via Edelweiss) and Istanbul (with Pegasus), the latter also offering onward connections to destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Summer favourites like Palma, Alicante, Faro, and city breaks in Dublin, Amsterdam, Edinburgh remain popular. Notably, inbound links from Milan, Madrid, Gdansk, Bucharest, Sofia, and Knock (Northern Ireland) are drawing ever-more visitors to the West Country, delivering a welcome boost to local businesses—from hotels to eateries and tourist attractions.
Going beyond transport, shaping tomorrow’s airport. As part of its £400 million blueprint, Bristol Airport is also rolling out extensive terminal enhancements. These include enlarging lounges and dining spaces, expanding baggage reclaim and immigration halls, and introducing advanced security scanners—so passengers can leave liquids and electronics in their bags. Construction has already started on a new covered walkway connecting parking, public transport, and the terminal, easing passenger flow.
Plan ahead for smooth travel. With some summer days seeing up to 40,000 travellers, visitors are urged to check in online, arrive early, and take advantage of services like pre-flight twilight bag drop with free Short-Stay car parking. Security procedures have evolved too—liquid limits and guidelines vary by carrier, so double-checking your airline’s policy is wise. Parents should also note rules for children under one metre, who may be hand-searched instead of scanned.
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