Bristol Airport in the southwest of England welcomed a record 9.8 million passengers last year, making 2023 the busiest year in the airport’s history.
According to the airport, it recovered faster from the pandemic than any other major UK airport, seeing huge pent-up demand for holidays and travel to reunite with family and friends. Passenger numbers have continued to grow and are now up over 10% in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Graeme Gamble, chief operating officer, Bristol Airport, said, “Last year saw fantastic results as more people than ever saw the benefits of flying from our region’s gateway airport and we welcomed in visitors from all over the UK and Europe. Our business partners, airlines and Bristol Airport have been able to create new jobs, building up our position as the area’s largest private sector employer.
“Over 8 million people a year drive out of our region to fly from London airports. Our plan for growth in 2024 and beyond is to give as many of those people as possible the chance to fly local and reach their destination through Bristol Airport.”
The airport will make some major investments in 2024, including the construction of a £60m (US$76m) Public Transport Interchange and multi-story parking lot. When complete in summer 2025, a glazed bridge will link the new public transportation and car drop-off area with the terminal, providing step-free access and transforming the customer experience.
The project is the airport’s largest since the terminal was built over 20 years ago and is part of a wider multi-million-pound upgrade of facilities to improve services for passengers. Other investments to upgrade the airport this year will include new airport lounges and more retail space as it moves toward serving 12 million passengers a year.