Bristol Airport lays out plans for long-haul flights

Bristol Airport has opened a consultation on its expansion plans, which include launching direct long-haul flights to destinations such as the Middle East and the east coast of America.

Over the next 12 years, the airport said it planned to increase its passenger allowance from 12 million to 15 million per year by improving its facilities and offering more flight options.

Chief executive Dave Lees said: "We constantly look at trends in air travel and we've been pleasantly surprised that people want to continue to travel by air."

People have two months to give their views on the proposals under a public consultation.

According to the airport, the development, part of a "masterplan to 2040", was forecast to provide more than 37,000 jobs in the South West and South Wales, plus another 1,000 roles at the airport itself.

A spokesperson said the proposals aimed to "meet the strong and growing demand of people in the region".

The plans included a larger terminal building, improved onsite catering facilities, a new hotel, a bigger runway for long-haul aircraft, improved transport capacity on the A38 and more parking.

Mr Lees said there had been a rise in travel since the pandemic: "The masterplan will look at what further development might be required to meet this growing demand for air travel and we’d welcome input from people to help shape our plans."

He called the growth "responsible", explaining the airport, which is based in North Somerset, was investing more than £400m on improving customer experience and reducing the Airport’s carbon emissions, with aims to achieve net zero in its operations by 2030.

"Meanwhile, we are also committed to working with partners in our region on aviation decarbonisation," he said.

The increase in passengers up to 15 million per year, would mean about 100,000 aircrafts movements per year from the airport, a rise of almost 15,000.

Bristol Airport said providing more destinations would reduce journeys to London airports.

Previously, environmental campaigners had vowed to oppose Bristol Airport's expansion plans.

The consultation period runs until 31 January 2025, with a planning application set to be submitted to North Somerset Council next year.

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