Ryanair tops Bristol Airport's track-keeping awards

Based on flight records for 2015, the scheme measures compliance with departure routes set up to minimise noise disturbance for local residents and also encourages airlines to use procedures which reduce their noise impact.

Ryanair, which serves thirty destinations from the Airport and operated over 3,500 flights during the 12 month period, was the only airline with over 99% on Departure Track Compliance and over 95% for Continuous Descent Approach.

Base Captain Craig Hope of Ryanair was presented with a certificate to mark the achievement and a large cake to share with his fellow flight crew.

In a close-run race, Thomson Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines were also recognised for their outstanding performance during 2015 in achieving over 99% for Departure Track Compliance and with over 90 per cent for Continuous Descent Approaches.

The Tracker Awards were introduced in 2013 to recognise outstanding operational performance by airlines at Bristol Airport, based on monitoring of compliance with noise preferential routings (NPRs). Continuous Descent Approaches are also encouraged, where aircraft stay higher for longer when approaching the airport, reducing noise and emissions for some local communities. The league table format is an effective way of encouraging continuous improvement and ensuring any deviations from track are taken seriously.

Melanie King, Environment Manager at Bristol Airport, said: “Ryanair had to see off strong competition from several airlines at Bristol Airport and we are delighted to recognise their commitment to improving their operational excellence. It is an outstanding achievement to operate over 99 percent on-track flight departures combined with over 95% of flights on Continuous Descent Approach. Initiatives like the Tracker Awards can only encourage further improvements which will help to minimise the noise impact on local communities.”