TAKING OFF
Major UK airport reveals £400million renovation plans – including larger terminal and more restaurants
The airport has already welcomed new easyJet and Ryanair flights this year
A MAJOR airport has revealed its multi-million renovation project that will make it a much better experience for holidaymakers.
Bristol Airport is to make huge changes over the next five years, with some of them already starting.
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The main improvement will be increasing the terminal size, which will increase by 70 per cent.
It follows a record number of people travelling through the airport, welcoming 10million passengers in a 12-month period for the first time ever.
More restaurants and larger lounges will be part of the terminal expansion.
It also means a larger baggage reclaim area as well as immigration area.
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And next year, a new covered walkway will allow travellers to access the airport from the outside car parking and public transport area.
This follows the new development currently being built which includes a new multi-storey car park and larger bus terminal.
The entire project is set to cost £400million.
Bristol Airport CEO Dave Lees told the that all of the changes will mean an passengers have an "improved journey" when using the airport.
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He added: "There will be a range of casual dining options including more restaurants as well as increasing the size of our lounges for those wanting a quieter location to relax [and ] also be substantially increasing the immigration area, baggage reclaim hall and the number of baggage reclaim units."
“These developments have already commenced with the biggest change to security in over a decade."
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These developments included new security baggage and body scanners which were installed over the summer.
UK airports were given a summer deadline to install these new scanners as part of the lifting of liquid restrictions.
The government has since postponed this so travellers still have to follow the 100ml rule.
However, the improved tech means passengers can now leave their liquids and electronics in their bags.
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Mr Leeds added: “The enhancements we’re making will also be welcomed by international tourists who use the Airport to explore the west and South Wales, visiting attractions and attending events - all of which is vital to those working in the tourism and hospitality sectors."
Once the improvements are in full operation, the airport hopes to welcome up to 12million passenger a year.
Ryanair also launched new flights from Bristol Airport this summer.
The new routes included Copenhagen, Fuerteventura, Marrakech, Prague, Sofia and Tirana.
The Sun's Head of Travel on why the UK needs more airport expansion.
The Sun's Head of Travel Lisa Minot weighs in...
THERE’S nothing I like to hear more than news of expansions and transformations of our airports.
Anything that will improve the experience is welcome.
Last year, 106million passengers flew from our airports. Heathrow saw 79.2million passengers pass through its terminals with Manchester the second busiest airport outside London handling 20million passengers.
More of us are flying than ever before.
The number of passengers flying to and from UK airports more than doubled between 1992 and 2019.
This is due in no small part to the explosion in travel that came with the rise of low-cost airlines like easyJet and Ryanair.
And our regional airports are becoming ever more important thanks to the astonishing growth of Jet2 from a small freight airline to the UK’s largest tour operator.
The infrastructure at many of our smaller airports is groaning under pressure from ever-increasing numbers.
With the government insisting all airports switch to new high-tech CT scanners, security halls have had to be transformed.
All improvements will benefit the travelling public, hopefully transforming what can be a stressful experience into something far more exciting.
And easyJet launched new routes from Bristol this winter - Tromso, Agadir, and Istanbul.
Other airlines that operate from Bristol Airport include Jet2, TUI and Aer Lingus.
It's not the only UK airport undergoing a huge renovation.
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Top 15 busiest airports in the UK
Here are the 15 busiest airports in the UK by passenger numbers in 2023
- London Heathrow - 79.2 million
- London Gatwick - 40.9 million
- Manchester - 28.1 million
- London Stansted - 28.0 million
- London Luton - 16.4 million
- Edinburgh - 14.4 million
- Birmingham - 11.5 million
- Bristol - 9.9 million
- Glasgow - 7.4 million
- Belfast International - 6.0 million
- Newcastle - 4.8 million
- Liverpool - 4.2 million
- Leeds Bradford - 4.0 million
- East Midlands - 3.9 million
- London City - 3.4 million
London Stansted Airport confirmed a £1.1billion renovation, with a £600million new terminal.
And Manchester Airport is currently undergoing a £1.3billion renovation
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