Record Year For Bristol Airport

18 January 2019, 11:15 | Updated: 18 January 2019, 11:18

More people used Bristol Airport last year than ever before, according to new figures.

More than 8.6 million people flew to or from the site in 2018, which is 400,000 more than the year before.

It was helped by the launch of new routes to destinations such Sofia in Bulgaria, Ostersund, Cyprus and Larnaca

Bosses say they expect another rise in 2019, predicting that passenger numbers will exceed 9 million for the first time.

In December, Bristol Airport submitted a planning application to North Somerset Council asking for permission to increase capacity to handle up to 12 million passengers a year by the mid-2020s. 

The plans include new infrastructure, improvements to existing terminal and road facilities, and operational changes to ensure the airport can continue to meet demand for air travel to and from the South West of the UK into the next decade. 

The current planning permission limits traffic through the terminal to 10 million passengers a year.

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

“These figures demonstrate that demand for air travel to and from the South West and South Wales continues to grow, with more passengers than ever selecting to use their local airport.  We recently asked passengers for feedback on why they selected to fly from Bristol Airport, friendly, clean, welcoming, convenient and efficient were reasons behind passenger’s choice.  We expect this trend to continue throughout 2019, and the improvements we are making to the whole Airport will further enhance the experience for our passengers now and in the future.”