Bristol Airport plays ‘critical’ role in economy, say business leaders

Regional leaders expect air travel to increase in the next three years, according to the report commissioned by the transport hub

Bristol Airport plays a “critical role” in the regional economy and is important for attracting international tourists, students and business travellers, according to a new report. The research by CBI Economics – and commissioned by the transport hub – questioned some 230 companies in the South West.

Of those surveyed, 79 per cent said that in-person meetings enabled by air travel were important to their company’s success. A third also said they expected international business travel to increase in the next one-to-three years.

More than half (52 per cent) of the businesses questioned currently rely on other airports, such as Heathrow and Gatwick, due to gaps in route availability or frequency at Bristol Airport.

Respondents said this “harms productivity and drives up costs” while also blaming limited connectivity for “missed opportunities” for the visitor economy. Of those questioned, 26 per cent reported lost inbound visitor opportunities due to flight availability issues.

Dave Lees, chief executive of Bristol Airport, said: “This robust and independent assessment makes clear how vital international air connectivity is for our region’s economy. Business travel has changed since the pandemic, but we’ve seen overall growth – there’s still huge value in meeting face-to-face.

“Our plans for growth would provide new connections for our region, improving productivity so that passengers don’t have to travel via London airports, and attracting more visitors into our fantastic region. The study makes clear that stymying growth would mean our region loses competitiveness, with benefits going elsewhere in the UK and Europe.”

The report comes just two weeks after Bristol Airport submitted a planning application to North Somerset Council to increase its capacity from 12 million passengers a year to 15 million. According to the regional transport hub, the plans would see an extra 1,000 on-site airport jobs created including roles such as engineers, mechanics, airline crew, retail assistants and caterers.

The airport also said the plans would allow it to provide routes to more destinations, including world cities within Europe and a limited number of new longer-haul flights to North America and the Middle East.

Douglas Ure, chief executive of South West chamber of commerce Business West, said: “The airport is vital infrastructure that supports our strong economic position. The proposed plans would create new jobs and further facilitate the flow of services, goods and business connections. We support these proposals and expect many of our members will too.”

In 2022, Bristol Airport airport was given the go ahead to expand from 10 million to 12 million passengers a year after a High Court judge dismissed a challenge to the plans.

Last year, around 1.6 million journeys were made via Bristol Airport – higher than before the Covid-19 travel restrictions.