Bristol Airport reports record year

Image courtesy Bristol Airport

In 2024 more than 10 million passengers used Bristol Airport, which is around a 7% increase compared to 2023, making it one of the fastest growing airports in the UK since the pandemic.

The Airport has seen an increase in trips to European cities for weekend breaks and business – in particular, there has been exceptional demand for routes to Amsterdam and Paris. Tourists arriving in the country from Europe to spend time in the South West and South Wales has also been buoyant.

Passengers are benefiting from new routes with Istanbul, Tromso and Agadir added to the wide range of destinations available. Bristol Airport has also announced additional routes for this year, including Almeria in Spain and Sicily’s capital Palermo.

As Bristol Airport looks to the future, it has been consulting on a Masterplan to 2040 setting out growth plans that would see new connections to North America and the Middle East.

Dave Lees, Chief Executive Officer, said: “It’s great to see so many more passengers from the South West and South Wales choosing to use Bristol Airport, with much interest in the new destinations we have on offer.

“Our master plan sets out how we would meet the strong and growing demand of people in the region using the Airport and the improvements we intend to make to further enhance the customer experience.

“The future development proposals are forecast to support more than 37,000 jobs in the South West and South Wales – including an additional 1,000 jobs at the Airport.”

An additional Airbus A320 family aircraft will join easyJet’s Bristol fleet from June 2025, meaning the airline will now base 19 easyJet aircraft at Bristol, enabling the airline to provide greater choice and connectivity for customers in the southwest.

Meanwhile, there are more quieter and efficient aircraft than ever based at the Airport with over a third of commercial air traffic movements now being made by the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.

It has also been a successful year for the Bristol Airport’s public transport offering, with a record number of people using buses to access the airport last year. The Airport Flyer connecting Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, saw 1.3 million passenger journeys, while new connections were put in place for those living in the South West, South Wales and Gloucestershire.