More than 8.1 million passengers used Bristol Airport last year, surpassing the total for 2016 by over six hundred thousand passengers.  The record annual number represents an 8 per cent increase year on year, and the eighth consecutive year of growth for England’s third largest regional airport.

Both charter and scheduled airline sectors contributed to the rise with the number of direct routes served reaching over 125.  Highlights in 2017 included TUI’s long haul programme operating the 787 Dreamliner aircraft from the Airport for the first time. easyJet added two new destinations to its route network to Stockholm and Athens, and Ryanair started a new service to Cologne.  Other airlines such as Thomas Cook, bmi regional and KLM all saw an increase in passenger numbers in 2017.

TUI the UK’s largest holiday brand, has today announced that it has added an additional weekly flight to the Greek island of Kos and Turkish destination of Dalaman for summer 2018 operating from Bristol Airport.

Holidaymakers from the South West will now have even more choice when it comes to booking a holiday to Kos and Dalaman, with TUI adding a Sunday flight to the summer flying programme to The Turkish destination and a Saturday flight to the Greek island. Flights start in May 2018 and will now operate twice a week to both Kos and Dalaman.

The decision to add more flights is part of the holiday company’s plans to offer as much choice as possible, ensuring customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the best hotels such as the 5T TUI Sensimar Palazzo del Mar in Kos or the 4T TUI Family Life Tropical Resort, Dalaman.

As well as the additional flights to Kos and Dalaman residents from in and around Bristol now have a wider choice of destinations to choose from when booking their holidays this summer with new routes to Hurghada in Egypt and Skiathos in Greece already on sale.

Today Boing Business Jet 9H-BBJ arrived at Bristol Airport for a few days, the Boeing 737-700 aircraft has visited Bristol Airport on previous occasions and is currently being handled and parked on the southside apron by Centreline.

The 737BBJ is certainly a stunning aircraft built in 2001 and refurbished in 2014, onboard facilities include wifi, power sockets, air conditioning, tea and coffee facilities, data port, DVD player, inflight phone, headsets, toilets, leather seats, oven, microwave, TV, satellite phones and even pets are allowed onboard.

The aircraft is owned and managed by charter company PrivaJet who specialise in aircraft management and jet charter.

TUI Air UK today (20 December 2017) announced a 4th Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Destination from Bristol. The Punta Cana route will operate 1x weekly on Wednesdays commening on 5th April 2018 (Thu). The move demonstrates the great success TUI is having with its first two Dreamliner routes from Bristol (Cancun and Orlando), which replaced the 767 last year. TUI also previously announced the 787 will replace the 757-200 on the Cape Verde route, stating this will commence on 2nd May 2018 (Wed).

The routes to Orlando and Cancun are returning at 1x weekly, commencing on 6th April 2018 (Fri) and 31st March 2018 (Sat).

Bristol Airport said: “We’re really pleased to hear that Thomson and First Choice are increasing the number of flights, holidays and destinations available from Bristol Airport. The introduction of Punta Cana as a long haul destination is particularly exciting we are sure it will attract plenty of local holiday makers who can’t wait to travel on the new 787 Dreamliner. Florida and Mexico destinations (commenced May 2017) are already proving popular and this new long haul route adds to the growing number of destinations available for our passengers.”

Further into 2019, Jamaica has been added as a one-off destination from Bristol, departing on 2nd April 2019.

British Airways is to increase flights from Bristol Airport to some of the top European holiday hotspots in summer 2018

In May this year British Airways launched new summer-only routes from Bristol airport. From May 2018 there will be an extra weekend flight from Bristol to Malaga. Additional summer routes include flights from Bristol to Ibiza, Palma and Florence.

All flights operate on modern Embraer 190 jet aircraft, with spacious cabins and two abreast seating allowing every customer to have an aisle or window seat.

Bristol Airport has begun preparing a new Master Plan which will set out potential development to respond to increasing passenger demand forecast over the next three decades and beyond.

A ten week consultation begins today (16 November 2017) to seek views from the public on its priorities and initial concepts that will guide the airport in its development plans to respond to forecast demand of up to 20 million passengers a year by the mid-2040s. Feedback from individuals and organisations will help shape a draft Master Plan which will be subject to further consultation next spring.

Currently the ninth busiest airport in the UK, and the fifth largest outside London, Bristol Airport saw passenger numbers grow by more than 10 per cent in 2016, and will serve more than eight million passengers this year. Existing planning permission is already in place for facilities to handle up to ten million passengers a year, but this capacity is expected to be reached early in the next decade as demand for air travel to and from the South West of the UK continues to rise.

The consultation document, ‘Your airport: your views’, identifies five pillars which will guide the airport’s new Master Plan in order to meet the challenges and opportunities that emerging trends are expected to present aviation with in the future. These guiding principles are:

• A world-leading regional airport
• Creating employment and supporting economic growth
• Providing an integrated transport hub
• Taking a sustainable approach
• Ensuring proposals are flexible enough to be delivered in phases over time, and deliver value for money for passengers, airlines and other stakeholders.

A number of design considerations influencing land use are examined, and three example scenarios showing indicative site layouts provide potential ways the airport could meet projected future demand.

Local communities, stakeholders, passengers and the public are invited to find out more and provide feedback online. Bristol Airport will hold a series of drop-in consultation events in local communities across the West of England for those wishing to speak to members of the airport management team first hand. Full details of the consultation, including dates and venues for the drop-in events, can be found by visiting www.bristolairport.co.uk/future.

A £9.5 million car park development commenced at Bristol Airport this week (8 November).  Construction of a multi-storey car park – the first on the Airport site – is now underway and will create more than 1,000 spaces situated within a short walking distance of the terminal.

Goldbeck Construction has been appointed to build the multi-storey car park which will be of a steel modular construction and will feature enhanced car parking bay technology, helping drivers to easily locate unoccupied spaces.  The development also includes improved internal road design, landscaping and signage all geared to assist passengers when parking cars on site.

Construction of the multi-storey car park follows recent improvements elsewhere across the site this year, including a £2.5 million customer reception centre in the Silver Zone car park and a £2.3 million upgrade to the immigration hall in the terminal.

Following the return of direct long-haul flights to Florida and Mexico this summer and the announcement of flights to the Dominican Republic in 2018, Bristol Airport has reaffirmed its ambitions to secure further long-haul routes.

The Airport, which will be consulting on initial priorities for a new Master Plan later this year, is confident that the success of TUI’s flights using the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ demonstrate the potential for even more destinations beyond Europe in future.

Bristol Airport’s runway is certified for Code E aircraft, a category which includes the A330 as well as the Dreamliner. This brings destinations across North America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and even parts of the Far East into range. Daily flights to New York operated in the past, before falling victim to the global financial crisis and retrenchment in the airline market. However, the Airport’s strong growth since (Bristol is the only major UK airport to have increased passengers every year since 2009) suggests that long-haul routes are a realistic prospect again.

In addition to existing direct long-haul flights, more than 100,000 passengers travel between Bristol and long-haul destinations via major international hubs including Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt and Munich operated by carriers such as Aer Lingus, Brussels Airlines, KLM and bmi regional.

Major investment in the South West, including the development of Hinkley Point C in Somerset, is expected to further boost demand for business travel to and from the region, while initiatives to promote inbound tourism, such as the recently announced Regional Gateway partnership between Bristol Airport and VisitBritain, are set to increase the South West’s profile in overseas markets.

Nigel Scott, Business Development Director at Bristol Airport, said:

“The strong short-haul network available from Bristol is a real asset to the region we serve, but we know businesses in the South West are also looking beyond Europe for new opportunities to trade. That is why we are working hard with existing airline partners to increase the frequency of services to major hubs, as well as exploring the potential for more direct long-haul services east and west. A level playing field on rates of Air Passenger Duty remains vital to achieving these ambitions.”

Having invested more than £160 million in new infrastructure and facilities since 2010, Bristol Airport is well positioned to serve passengers across the South West of the UK, and also provides a gateway to the region for international visitors.

Throughout 2017, Bristol Airport will be celebrating 60 years at its current site. As well as looking back on a rich aviation history, work will begin on an updated Master Plan which will consider how best to meet growing demand for air travel to and from the South West and South Wales over the next two decades. The views of customers, employees, neighbours and others stakeholders will be vital in helping to shape the Airport’s vision for the future.

Following a record summer in which passenger numbers reached eight million in a 12 month period for the first time in its history, Bristol Airport will be seeking views later this month on how to meet demand for air travel over the next 30 years and more. Feedback will help shape Master Plan for 2050.

Currently the ninth busiest airport in the UK, and the fifth largest outside London, Bristol saw passenger numbers grow by more than 10 per cent in 2016. Passing the eight million milestone demonstrates continued strong demand for air travel to and from the South West of the UK, highlighting the need to begin investigating options for extending capacity beyond the current limit of 10 million passengers a year. A consultation document to be published later this month will set out initial considerations and concepts for meeting this challenge in a sustainable way.

Local communities, regional stakeholders and the general public will be invited to provide feedback through an online questionnaire, with a series of events to be held in local communities and across the West of England for those wishing to speak to members of the Airport management team first hand. Feedback will help to shape a more detailed Draft Master Plan which will be subject to further consultation in spring 2018.

The Department for Transport has approved Bristol Airport’s request regarding EC and UK Airport Slot Allocation Regulations.

The Department for Transport has approved Bristol Airport’s request to be designated as ‘partially coordinated’ under the EC and UK Airport Slot Allocation Regulations.

This puts in place effective controls to ensure continued compliance with seasonal night movement limits set out in planning permission for development to handle up to 10 million passengers a year.

For more information on this subject please read the Bristol Airport Frequently Asked Questions.

The UK’s leading travel company has kicked off its name change campaign to highlight that Thomson is changing to TUI.

A new TV ad debuted during ITV’s flagship Saturday night programme the X Factor.  The advert showed a man diving into clear crystal blue water; the message was simple, ‘Thomson is changing to TUI.’

The 20 second ad, created by Young and Rubicam, is at the heart of a wide scale communications offensive that will cement the name TUI in the minds of the British public as Thomson’s transition from UK number one to world number one reaches the final stages.   The company announced in December 2016 that its summer 2017 marketing campaign ‘moments’ would be the last under the Thomson brand name, paving the way for a full re-brand by the end of the year.

Read more here: hello.tui.co.uk

easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, has today announced that it will start two new routes from Bristol Airport to Sweden’s capital city, Stockholm and the capital city of Greece, Athens later this year.

The new route to Athens will operate every Monday and Friday on an A320 aircraft from 6 November 2017 with fares starting from £28.49* one-way.  Athens is a modern and bustling city, yet charming and steeped in history with museums and monuments at every turn.

These new routes will also support our ongoing efforts to grow inbound tourism to the South West and Wales, and we look forward to working with easyJet as well as our partners in the tourism industry to promote the fantastic attractions of the region to an even wider audience.

Bristol Airport announces that its CEO, Robert Sinclair, will step down later this year to become the new Chief Executive Officer of London City Airport.

Robert was appointed CEO of Bristol Airport in October 2008 and has overseen a 45% increase in passenger numbers, significant growth in new destinations, and the completion of a £160m development programme which has culminated in the Airport being ranked No1. in the UK for overall passenger satisfaction.

Janis Kong, Chairman of Bristol Airport, said: “Over the last nine years, Robert has been instrumental in leading our team and transforming Bristol Airport into one of the fastest growing and best regional airports in Europe. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank him for his excellent dedication and service. We wish him every success in his new role.”

Robert Sinclair added: “I have been incredibly fortunate to work at Bristol Airport. It is a fantastic team and I would like to pay tribute to the Board and all of the staff, airlines and business partners who I have had the pleasure of working with. Everyone at Bristol takes great pride in serving the South West region and ensuring our passengers have an amazing journey, and with that level of commitment I am sure the Airport will continue to go from strength to strength.”

On Tuesday 20 June 2017 an historic Beech 18 aircraft departed from the Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club at Bristol Airport on the first stage of a round-the-world flight.

Well-known local hot air balloonist and director of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Phil Dunnington, and his wife Allie will fulfil a 20 year-old dream by flying an historic aeroplane around the world, taking one of the world’s lightest hot air balloons with them.

At each stop-over for the aircraft, Phil and Allie will fly the balloon, making for a unique and exciting aviation adventure. Planning and preparation started in 2014, when a suitable aircraft, which has since become affectionately known as Betty the Beech and painted in Bristol Blue colour, was purchased.   The couple have also been hard at work designing the hot air balloon with locally based Cameron Balloons.

The first part of the adventure is a series of hops from the UK to Cuba via the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Canada, and the United States.  Wherever Betty lands, the balloon will take to the skies.

This will involve flying an old aeroplane through some of the world’s most challenging regions and then, between flights, getting airborne in their two-person balloon. Many destinations on Betty’s travels may never have seen a balloon before.

Throughout 2017, Bristol Airport will be celebrating 60 years at its current site.  As well as looking back on a rich aviation history, work will begin on an updated Master Plan which will consider how best to meet growing demand for air travel to and from the South West and South Wales over the next two decades.  The views of customers, employees, neighbours and others stakeholders will be vital in helping to shape the Airport’s vision for the future.

Thomson and First Choice are today announcing increased capacity at Bristol Airport for anyone taking a holiday in summer 2018. This includes new routes to Funchal, Madeira and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The company is also offering new 10 and 11 night breaks to Bulgaria and Dubrovnik which gives greater flexibility to holidaymakers flying from the south-west of England.

The move to introduce new routes and increased flexibility is part of the holiday company’s strategy to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the finest hotels in some of the most captivating destinations. Today marks the launch of all summer 2018 holidays for the brands which includes new routes.

Customers flying to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from Bristol will get the added benefit of flying on Thomson’s brand new 787 Dreamliner plane and can visit some of the destination’s best hotels such as the 5T TUI SENSATORI Resort Azul Punta Cana. The newest Sensatori resort in the collection boasts beautiful white-sand beaches, designer interiors and a gourmet dining scene.

We wanted to inform you of a great offer and day at Virtual Aerospace Gloucester on Sunday 30th April 2017, for just £99.00 you can take the controls of a Boeing 737-800 fixed base simulator. From the moment you arrive at the airport themed reception you will be instantly transported into the world of the big jet pilot. This is not just a pretend aircraft used for experiences but a fully operational professional level 737NG used to train real airline pilots, join a fully qualified commercial pilot for the ride of your life! Virtual Aerospace Gloucester are good friends of Bristol Airport Spotting and have attended previous Aviation Fairs that we organised.

Every experience is tailored to your level whether you are a complete novice or a fully trained airline pilot we have something for you.

• Upon arrival you will be met by one of the operations staff and shown to the waiting area where refreshments are available.
• At your designated flight time you will meet your instructor and help them plan your session including choosing weather, time of day and location (They have the whole world to choose from).
• This is where the fun really starts, it’s off to the simulator where you will find the engines running and the aircraft ready to go
• Seat belt signs on, flaps down and throttles forwards – 30 minutes of flying goes in a flash and will leave you wanting more!
• Spectator jump seat – share your experience with a friend or family member (Only enough room for 1 passenger).

To find out more visit their website at http://virtual-aerospace-gloucester.com/product/avgeeksunday/ where you can find contact details. Or join the event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1082749808538230/

Ryanair today (23 Mar) launched its Bristol winter 2017 schedule, with a new route to Cologne, extra flights to Bucharest and Venice and 20 routes in total, which will deliver 1.7m customers p.a. and support 1,300 jobs at Bristol Airport.

Ryanair will continue to connect Bristol with major business and leisure centres on high frequency, low fare services including Dublin (2 daily) and Milan (3 wkly), on the lowest fares, making Ryanair the ideal choice for UK business and leisure customers.

easyJet, Bristol’s largest airline and the largest UK base outside of London, flew more than four million passengers during the course of 2016 – an 11% increase on the previous year, up a third on five years ago.

Two million of easyJet’s passengers were travelling for business. Since easyJet’s operations began out of Bristol in 2002, a massive 45 million passengers have travelled to and from the airport with easyJet.

In 2017 the number of seats on sale will increase by around 6.7% to over 4.86 million with more seats to the most popular destinations in Spain and Portugal than any other airline, and an ever expanding number of destinations available from the airport.

In 2016 the airline launched new routes to Vienna, Basel, Venice, Nantes, Dubrovnik, Gran Canaria and Turin and, this summer, will launch flights to Kefalonia and Pula. Additionally, due to an uplift in demand, it has also increased the frequency of flights to Palma to 15 times a week, flights to Pisa will increase to six times a week and Ibiza to three times a week. easyJet also connects the South West with the rest of the UK with daily multi-frequency flights. It also offers up to 20 flights a day to and from Scotland. Additionally, from the summer of 2017, the airline will position a further aircraft in Bristol, creating new jobs locally.

As well as adding new routes, easyJet now offers direct flights to all the main Canary Islands during winter and keeps the south west well connected to Europe’s key cities like Bilbao, Pisa, Barcelona and Bordeaux which now operate all year-round.

British Airways is to start flying from Bristol Airport again with the launch of four new summer-only routes to popular European sunspots.

From May the airline will begin direct flights from Bristol to the popular Spanish destinations of Malaga, Ibiza and Palma and to the Italian city of Florence. They will operate on modern Embraer 190 jet aircraft, with spacious cabins and two abreast seating so every customer can have an aisle or window seat. The new return flights will operate once a week at weekends.

Photo thanks to British Airways PLC

WOW air, the ultra-low-cost transatlantic airline from Iceland, has announced that it will continue its service from Bristol to Iceland and beyond to the US and Canada in June due to the ongoing success of the route as well as the airline is set to relaunch the service with brand new aircraft arriving in June.

Though the route was originally planned to cease operations on 24 March 2017, the airline will recommence flights on 14 June 2017 with five new aircraft that will be put into service on the route.

The new schedule from 14 June to 27 October 2017 will be as follows:
WW831           BRS – KEF            10:25 – 13:30 UTC           Wed – Fri – Sun
WW830           KEF – BRS            06:15 – 09:15 UTC           Wed – Fri – Sun

On Monday 16 January 2017 the South Bristol Link (SBL) a 4.5km express bus route and roadway that includes new cycle and pedestrian paths opened to traffic for the first time, it links the A370 at Long Ashton with the A38 and Hengrove Park.

The SBL will improve access to Bristol Airport for passengers and spotters travelling by car from the north, east and west, although journey time reductions may be tempered in the short term by delays caused by road improvement works elsewhere in the local area.

Well, this year certainly has been one full of surprises for Bristol Airport Spotting. I would sum it up as “successful” year with lots of great news being announced, although some news was not so great too. I certainly has been one of the best years for BAS since it began!

In early 2016 there was not a huge amount of activity regarding rares and new routes. The winter charters consisting of Jet2, Enter Air and Titan Airways were slowly dwindling off. Up until the end of March it looked as if the year didn’t have much exciting in store, apart from 1 new airline, WOW Air, starting in May – we’ll come on to this later.

In April our hopes soon picked up as we received news of the Thomson Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which would be visiting Bristol Airport on the 19th. Myself and Simon were further excited as we were offered by Bristol Airport to go air side for the arrival – it was now clear BRS were not taking the arrival lightly and it soon came to light that it would be more of an event than just witnessing the arrival! On the morning of the 19th it was a cloudy and miserable day but at exactly 11:20 the main gear of the Dreamliner touched Bristol Airport’s runway 27 for the very first time. After a short period of the ground workers making sure the steps were the correct height, BAS was allowed to go inside the aircraft to photograph it, including the cockpit, along with various other media crew.

Could 2016 get any better for BRS and BAS? Surely not 2 very special arrivals in 5 days of each other? Well that was the case! On the morning of the 24th of April, many spotters headed to Winters Lane to catch the arrival of a French Air Force Airbus A310 – it was truly a spectacular sight. So by early summer a lot had happened for BAS already. As a spotter I was quite chuffed with how it had gone to far and wasn’t going to be disappointing if nothing else unusual came in.

In May Bristol Airport Spotting launched the new Facebook group for spotters. This was done to allow members to more easily communicate with each other and bring more of a community feel to the Bristol Airport Spotters. In under 24 hours we had already accumulated over 100 members – a tremendous success which passed myself and Simon’s expectations by miles.

May also brought the first arrival of WOW Air to Bristol Airport.On Friday the 13th May at 11:10, the first arrival was TF-BRO from KEF. BAS was again grateful to the team at Bristol Airport for inviting us air side for the inaugural flight. Simon attended and I sadly had to turn down the offer as I had to be at school.The flight is still in operation today on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, however it is currently unknown if WOW Air are returning to Bristol Airport in summer 2017.

Freebird also commenced a weekly Friday evening service to Bristol Airport in May, this is believed to have been charted in by a holiday company. The flight continued to operate throughout the summer on an Airbus A320 aircraft.

June now so the temperature was starting to pick up which brought out more and more spotters, combined with longer days allowed for some great spotting. BRS and Aer Lingus celebrated 80 years of the Dublin to Bristol route and flew in a vintage aircraft to celebrate. Simon from BAS was allowed to be on board one of the special flights which took passengers over the original Bristol Whitchurch Airport.

Little did us spotters know that a suprise was in store for us – BH Air flew in the Airbus A330 on the Burgas summer charter! This was listed as an A320 on the mayfly and so we were delighted when we found out it had come in. 2 weeks later, it was operated again, and spotters were out in full to catch its early Saturday morning arrival and departure. For someone who has not been a spotter for as long as most of the members it was a real treat to finally catch a Airbus A330 at Bristol. It is believed the last time a Airbus A330 came to Bristol was in 2006.

So to recap, that was now 3 unusual aircraft types this year: 787,  A310 and A330!

Neos and CityJet also joined in the summer charter club, operating a B737-800 and Avro RJ85 into Bristol. BRS’s summer charter operation was now in full swing with Freebird, BH Air, Neos and CityJet.

Further on into July both myself and Simon were outside the country (on separate trips of course!). We’d like to thank SWAP owner and good friend Gary Morris for being a temporary admin on the BAS Facebook group during this time.

Soon enough it was September and that only meant one thing – the Aviation Fair was not fair away! Preparations had been well underway and we couldn’t wait to get it started. The day of the 18th came and what a busy day it was. Myself, Simon and many others who had volunteered to help us set up were at Bristol Airport on a cold morning at am, setting up. The aviation fair turned out to be a huge success with over 800 people attending – bypassing the previous years numbers massively. The day also showed the arrival of a Danish Air Transport ATR. Thank you to all of the exhibitors and those who helped out – the fair could not have happened without your help!

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2017 Aviation Fair, details of this will be announced in the upcoming months.

Most of the year had passed by now and we were all looking forward to the winter charter season. However none of the BAS team or our fellow enthusiasts were prepared for the news we would receive on the 3rd of October.

Martyn East, a BAS Admin and well known Bristol Airport enthusiast, had sadly passed away in hospital the previous night. We were all devastated at the news. Martyn’s knowledge of aviation was incredible and always had a new story to tell each time you saw him.

And with that now it brings this review into the past few weeks. Winter charters have begun, these include Jet2, Enter Air, Small Planet, Austrian and Titan Airways.

Bristol Airport Spotting would like to thank the team at Bristol Airport and in particular Jacqui Mills for their help and organisation of the various air side visits and the Aviation Fair!

The UK’s leading air navigation services provider NATS has won a new contract to design and deliver a new voice communications system at Bristol Airport.

Over the next 12 months, NATS Services Ltd will replace Bristol’s Voice Communications System (VCS) in an overhaul of the bespoke system that allows air traffic controllers in the airport tower to communicate with the aircraft and vehicles under their management.

NATS is developing, designing and installing the new VCS system, built around the IP-based Frequentis 3020X VCS and Jotron transmitters and receivers, to provide a clear and effective solution capable of meeting Bristol Airport’s current and future technical requirements.

Placed around the airfield and in the tower itself, the new state-of-the-art equipment not only enhances voice clarity and brings the airport up-to-date with the latest technology but also ensures the system is well-placed to connect with technological advances of the future.

Photo courtesy of NATS.Aero

Ryanair has launched its biggest ever Bristol summer schedule (2017), with two new summer routes to Bucharest and Venice and extra flights to Warsaw, with 30 routes in total.

Ryanair has launched its biggest ever Bristol summer schedule (2017), with 2 new summer routes to Bucharest and Venice and extra flights to Warsaw, with 30 routes in total, which will deliver over 1.7m customers p.a. at Bristol Airport, as Ryanair grows its Bristol traffic by 5% in 2017.

Ryanair’s Bristol Summer 2017 schedule will see more frequencies to sun destinations, lower fares (as Ryanair passes on lower fuel costs), and an even better customer experience, as it rolls out year 3 of its “Always Getting Better” customer experience programme, and will deliver:

• 2 new summer 2017 routes to: Bucharest (2 weekly) & Venice Marco Polo (4 weekly)
• Extra flights to Warsaw (4 weekly)
• 30 routes in total
• Over 1.7m customers p.a.

We are very sad to report that Martyn East, one of the admin team here at Bristol Airport Spotting passed away on Monday 3rd October 2016 after battling a long illness for many months, Martyn worked behind the scenes on developing the ID Card Scheme and he was in the stages of beginning to take orders to get things moving, he also helped and supported the aviation fair planning as well as being a good friend to anyone he met sharing his wealth of 30 years aviation knowledge.

He will be very much missed by all who knew him and everyone within the BAS team and community. We plan on continuing with the ‘plane watch’ scheme in his memory and more information will be announced later in the year.

We are looking for another admin to join the team here at Bristol Airport Spotting, the group has continued to grow since it began back in 2013 and has now become very busy both on social media, the website, events and the upcoming “plane watch” project.

The admin role will involve keeping the website up to date, ensuring pages are current, creating new web pages and blogging about news articles where necessary. We have a presence on social media that needs improving to various other channels and so involvement with this will be required.

Unfortunately the role is unpaid but we need a dedicated individual to dedicate an hour or few hours a week depending on what is required to work on the above tasks as well as others that the individual may feel will enhance the group further. We want someone to come along for the ride and help us expand BAS, you will be working alongside the other admins as well as the founder of the group Simon Fewkes.

Desired experience:

• Knowledge of WordPress content management system
• Knowledge of social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus
• Good written English and communication skills

If this sounds like something that interests you please send an email to info@bristolairportspotting.co.uk with your details, your past experience and why you feel you are ideal for the role.

During the day of the aviation fair a photographer from Bristol Post was present, he took a selection of photos which were published in a two page spread on Tuesday 20th September 2016 in the Bristol Post newspaper, thanks to both the photographer and the newspaper for publishing this content which will further promote the event and show our support to the airport and charity of the year.

Quite some time back we started to explore the idea of setting up and running a Bristol Airport Spotting ID Card Scheme, we are now looking to progress this further to an intended launch but before we do we need to get an idea of numbers of people who would be interested in joining, there would be a small cost to join which covers printing of the ID card and a lanyard, some ARGUS training would also be provided by Bristol Airport Police as part of the scheme. The ID cards would have no security or access rights and are purely for spotter identification purposes only, we are looking to work towards a similar model adopted at Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted who also work in partnership with the airport police. If you would like to join please can you submit your name and email address using the following Mailchimp form – http://eepurl.com/cc0wmf, we will then contact you once we have an idea of numbers and if the project can progress as intended.

Phase two of Bristol Airport’s £24m terminal extension opened to passengers on Saturday 29 July, bringing the number of new security lanes in operation to ten.

The 9,000 square metre structure features state-of-the-art technology in a significantly enlarged security search area and forms part of development plans which will enable 10 million passengers a year to use the Airport. Work continues on a dedicated Fast Track zone which will go live later this year, along with an expanded baggage reclaim and arrivals ‘meet and greet’ area.

Completion of the terminal extension will then enable immigration facilities to be enlarged, with plans being progressed to enhance facilities by spring 2017. This will include the introduction of faster new ePassport gates featuring the latest technology to speed processing times, taking the total number of passport control points from 10 to 17.

In the meantime, arriving passengers can help keep time spent at the border to a minimum by having passports open to the photograph page and removing hats and sunglasses in advance of inspection, with families encouraged to go through the border together.

The route network available from Bristol Airport is also growing, with direct services to 117 destinations and frequent daily services to major hubs including Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin and Frankfurt, as well as a recently launched WOW air service to Reykjavik offering onward connections to North America. From May 2017, Thomson Airways will operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Florida and Mexico, highlighting the scope for more direct long-haul destinations in future.

The first phase of Bristol Airport’s £24m terminal extension opened to passengers this morning ahead of what is expected to be its busiest ever summer holiday season.

The 9,000 square metre structure features state-of-the-art technology in a significantly enlarged security search area, the first phase of which includes five new lanes, with a further five coming on line at the end of the month. The terminal extension forms part of development plans which will enable 10 million passengers a year to use the Airport, the largest in the South West of the UK, and England’s third busiest outside London. Passenger numbers passed seven million for the first time in a rolling 12 month period, and traffic is up by more than 10 per cent for the first half of the year.

In total, the completed extension will comprise 12 security lanes, including a dedicated Fast Track zone which will go live later this year. A pre-boarding preparation area provides a new space for passengers to get their belongings ready for screening, and an automated tray return system with extended conveyor belts will streamline the process through metal detectors, x-rays and security scanners where required. All of this will take place against the backdrop of Europe’s largest digital wall, measuring 14 metres in length and displaying a mix of information on overseas destinations and short films featuring inspirational journeys made by local people.

While the priority of this first phase of development is to address bottlenecks for departing passengers, an enlarged baggage reclaim area, customs facilities, and meet and greet area will be completed by the end of the year, also enhancing the arrivals experience. Completion of the current extension will then enable the immigration hall to be developed in 2017, with plans including the installation of up to 10 of the latest ePassport gates.

The opening of Bristol Airport’s biggest ever terminal extension is just three weeks away as the first phase a 12 month construction programme nears completion. The first section of the £24 million facility, including a bigger and better security search area, will open on 18 July.

The Airport has experienced a very busy summer so far, with record passenger numbers expected throughout the holiday season. Combined with the temporary loss of space while construction work is underway, this has resulted in congestion in the terminal at the busiest times of day. This has been compounded by air traffic control strikes in France, Greece and Italy which have caused disruption across Europe, resulting in some delays at the UK border when flights have arrived off-schedule.

The 9,000 square metre terminal extension features state-of-the-art technology in a significantly enlarged security search area which will deliver a faster, more efficient service to departing passengers. The first tranche of new security lanes opens in mid-July ahead of the school summer holidays, with the remaining new lanes coming on line from the end of the month.

Bristol Airport reached another major milestone this week, with a total of over seven million passengers using the Airport in a 12 month period for the first time in its history.

This major landmark continues the upward trend which saw annual passenger numbers reach 6.76 million in 2015 – a sixth consecutive year of growth for England’s third largest regional airport.

Scheduled and charter airlines contributed to the rise, taking the total number of destinations served to 116, including 16 capital cities. The South West and South Wales’ major airport has also attracted new entrants into the regional market, with Wizz Air commencing services to Katowice in Poland, Kosice in Slovakia, and the Bulgarian capital of Sofia within the last 12 months.

In addition, Bristol Airport is the only the second UK departure point for Icelandic low-cost airline, WOW air, with flights to North America via Reykjavik. In April, Thomson Airways announced it will be operating weekly flights to Orlando and Cancun from next spring, which will see the Boeing 787 Dreamliner fly from Bristol for the first time.

Development of passenger facilities to cater for this increased demand continues, with work well underway on a £24 million west terminal extension which will transform the security search process for passengers when phase one is completed this summer, as well as creating an enlarged baggage reclaim area, customs facilities and meet and greet area by the end of the year. A 201-room Hampton by Hilton hotel is also set to be open this winter.

Beyond the Airport boundary, the completion of the South Bristol Link (SBL) will enhance access to the Airport from the north, east and west. The SBL forms part of the MetroBus network of rapid transit routes in the West of England, to which Bristol Airport is contributing more than £4.7 million towards the cost of construction as part of planning permission for development to handle up to 10 million passengers per annum.

To celebrate the seven million milestone passengers and staff were treated to free ice creams sourced from local supplier, Gloucestershire-based Marshfield Farms.

After a period of discussion and decision we have upgraded our Facebook presence by creating a new Facebook Group, this new group allows all members to quickly and easily post their photos, videos, links and other media to the group for everyone to see, our previous Facebook presence was established as a Facebook Page which only allowed admins to post clearly with any posts to the page not showing in the same way or on users timelines, as we continue to grow we wanted to have more visibility as well as giving our members more choice and options when interacting with us.

This was a hard decision for us to make but based on user feedback and keeping in line with other aviation related groups we felt this was the sensible way forward for the BAS community.

To join the new group please head over to – https://www.facebook.com/groups/bristolspotting/ and click Join, one of the admin team will approve your membership and you will then be able to post, read and view our posts and other members posts. We look forward to welcoming you.

easyJet celebrated the inaugural flights of two new routes from Bristol Airport to Venice and Nantes, with passengers being welcomed on board with chocolates to jointly mark the Easter period.

The airline’s first flight from Bristol to Venice Marco Polo took-off on Wednesday afternoon (23 March) and flights to Nantes commenced on Thursday (24 March), with hundreds of passengers jetting off to the new destinations for their Easter holidays. Both routes combined are expected to carry around 70,000 tourists in and out of Bristol Airport each year.

The airline last month opened its 27th base in Venice as part of its growth strategy in Italy. As part of the base opening, easyJet unveiled an aircraft with a special livery featuring one of Venice’s iconic gondolas that will help to promote the city across the 32 countries easyJet flies to.

The South West economy is set to lose £843 million and 1,569 jobs if the power to set Air Passenger Duty (APD) is devolved to the Welsh Government, according to figures released today.

Launching its campaign for “A Fair Flight For The South West”, Bristol Airport has published a report highlighting the risks to the South West economy of APD devolution to Wales – something that the Chancellor is likely to announce at this year’s Budget on 16th March.

The risks of APD devolution to Wales include:

• The loss of £843 million in gross value added (GVA) from the West of England economy over the next decade.
• The loss of 1,569 jobs in the West of England over the next decade.
• The likely loss of almost a third of Bristol Airport’s existing air routes, and long-haul routes expected to be launched soon, reducing choice for passengers from the region, air access for overseas visitors, and trade links for the local economy.
• A 25% drop in passengers travelling from Bristol Airport by 2020 – seriously damaging a regional business which generates almost £400m in GVA and supports 11,000 jobs for the regional economy.

Dr Liam Fox, local MP, says: “The South West is set to lose out massively if this tax on flying is devolved to Wales. The toxic combination of less consumer choice, job losses and reduced economic activity is simply not acceptable and I am today calling on the Government to halt this measure.”

James Durie Chief Executive of Bristol Chamber of Commerce at Business West, says: “Bristol Airport plays an increasingly important role in the regional economy of the South West. We have the best performing economy outside of London and ambitious plans to grow. A critical part of this is excellent air connectivity to international markets for trade and commerce. Unilateral devolution of this tax to Wales would substantially undermine and damage this. We are supportive of the devolution of power from Westminster but it must be based on terms that will grow UK plc not just transfer activity across boundaries. The Government must properly recognise the economic dangers of unintended consequences for neighbouring regions.”

Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive of Bristol Airport, says: “If this tax is devolved to Wales and scrapped, we will be put at a significant commercial disadvantage to Cardiff Airport, which is owned by the Welsh Government and less than 100km away from Bristol Airport. Even if limited to long-haul flights, there would be a significant impact on more than 100,000 passengers who use European hubs and it would jeopardise plans to launch direct long-haul flights in the near future.

“We expect competition in the aviation industry, but that competition needs to be on a level playing field. Distorting this market will mean less choice and increased costs for people in the South West when going on holiday or doing business overseas.”

A ‘topping out’ ceremony was held on the 27th January 2016 to mark a key milestone in the construction of Bristol Airport’s west terminal extension. The celebration – a longstanding tradition in the construction industry – followed the completion of the steelwork for the £24 million structure.

To mark the occasion guests from the design team, (architects, structural engineers, M&E engineers) and main contractor, Balfour Beatty, joined Bristol Airport’s Chief Executive Officer and senior management team to view the extension’s highest point.

The west terminal extension is Bristol Airport’s single biggest investment project since the terminal building opened in March 2000. Once completed later this year it will transform the security search process for passengers, as well as creating an enlarged baggage reclaim area, customs facilities, arrivals retail, and meet and greet area.

The new security search facility will house 10 customer channels, a dedicated Fast Track zone, an enlarged area in which customers can prepare for search in a more comfortable and relaxed environment, and significantly longer 21 metre security lanes. The combination of design, space and new technology is expected to deliver an industry-leading passenger experience.

The 9,000 square metre facility will be opened in three phases following a 14 month construction build, involving over 200 people working on site. Phase one will open in summer 2016, closely followed by phase two and three, with the entire project completed before the end of 2016.

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, started operating its new service from Sofia to Bristol, U.K in January 2016. The twice-weekly service will be operated on Mondays and Thursdays.

Together with the recently announced Sofia – Birmingham route commencing on 28 March, there is a total of three low-fare WIZZ services between Sofia and the United Kingdom.

Bristol is one of the U.K.’s most popular tourist destinations, with two universities and a variety of artistic and sporting organizations and venues.

With the new route, Wizz Air offers 32 routes to 16 countries from three Bulgarian airports: Sofia, Bourgas and Varna.

The 17th December 2015 marked a major milestone and special occasion for Bristol Airport when Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal opened a multi-million pound terminal extension.

This is not the first time Her Royal Highness has visited the Airport, having officially opened the terminal building back in March 2000. That year just 2.2 million passengers passed through the new facility. Annual throughput has since increased to an expected 6.7 million in 2015, highlighting the development opening.

The major terminal extension follows a 12 month build programme and £8.6 million investment. The development provides a significantly enlarged departure lounge featuring hundreds of additional seats as well several retail and catering brands and a second executive lounge. A stand-out feature is an outdoor rooftop terrace area with views of arriving and departing aircraft, including bar and restaurant seating under a retractable roof.

Design features of the terminal extension include finishes, colours and textures taking inspiration from the Airport’s local area. The use of timber and reeds alongside interior planting reflect the region’s natural beauty, while a striking lighting feature makes use of Bristol’s iconic blue glass to dramatic effect, with the glass chandelier sculpted in the shape of the River Avon flowing through the city.

During the visit and tour of the terminal Her Royal Highness met key stakeholders, representatives of the local community, business partners and staff. To add a festive spirit to the event, pupils from Wrington Primary and Winford Primary Schools sang traditional Christmas carols in the main check-in area.

One of the first stopping points on the tour showcased work already underway on a second terminal extension, to the western end of the main building. This £24 million project, the largest since the terminal opened in March 2000, will transform the security search process for passengers when it opens in summer 2016, as well as creating an enlarged baggage reclaim area, customs facilities, arrivals retail, and meet and greet area. Once completed next year, this will take the total investment in infrastructure at Bristol Airport since 2010 to over £120 million.

Work has also commenced on the construction of a 201 room Hampton by Hilton hotel set to be completed in 2016.

A new airline known as WOW air is to start operating from Bristol Airport in 2016 and Bristol is to become WOW air’s second UK departure point for flights to Iceland and North America. Flights will depart Bristol Airport for the airline’s hub in Reykjavik on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Passengers travelling through will then have a short stopover before continuing on to one of the airline’s North American destinations – Boston, Washington D.C., Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Airbus A320 aircraft will operate the Bristol to Reykjavik flight with single-class A321 and A330-300 aircraft operating the routes between Iceland and North America. Standard seat pitch is 30 inches with the option to increase this to 34 inches on the North American legs of the journey for an additional charge.

Flight Schedules:

• WW830
  • KEF – BRS
  • Mon, Wed, Fri
  • 06:20 – 09:10 UTC / 06:20 – 10:10 Local
• WW831
  • BRS – KEF
  • Mon, Wed, Fri
  • 11:00 – 14:00 UTC / 12:00 – 14:00 Local

Find out more by visiting their website at www.wowair.co.uk

Keep an eye out at Bristol Airport for a Thomson Airways Boeing 757 that has been painted in a fun Christmas livery including antlers, holly and Merry Christmas titles. The aircraft registration G-OOBE may well visit the airport between now and Christmas and we will certainly look forward to seeing it and capturing some photos which will be shared on here and our social media channels.

Over the coming weeks we will be making some exciting announcements regarding BAS and some projects we will be involved with, to be sure you stay up to date and will be included in the news please make sure you sign up to our newsletter, its quick and completely free and will ensure you won’t miss out on anything, to register click the ‘Newsletter Signup’ tab above or visit https://www.bristolairportspotting.co.uk/signup/. We will not spam your email address and will only be used for BAS related information.

It has been announced that from summer 2016 there will be up to 13 easyJet aircraft based at Bristol Airport to cater for extra demand from its passengers across the South West and Wales, enabling the airline to fly to even more destinations, the announcement comes following easyJet’s full year results which were issued earlier today announcing the airline had delivered record profits and returns for the 12 months ended 30 September 2015.