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Airport Information
Bristol Airport
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4 million Passengers a
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1 runway - 2,011m in length |
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1 Terminal |
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Over 80 direct destinations |
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So how did it all begin?
Plans for the airport began back in 1927 when a group of local businessmen
raised £6,000 through public subscriptions to inaugurate a flying
club at Filton Aerodrome, which became the birthplace of Concorde.
In 1929 they decided to develop a fully-fledged Bristol airport and
bought and area of farmland at Whitchurch where the airport was to
be built.
The airport was officially opened in 1930 by HRH Prince George, during
this period Bristol was only the third civil airport in the country.
1939 saw 4000 passengers through the airport but war broke out and
the airport was requisitioned by the Air Ministry. Airlines such as
Imperial Airways and KLM were transferred from London's Croydon Airport
to Whitchurch. Personalities such as Winston Churchill and Amy Johnson
certainly used the Airport during this period.
It was thought that there was a limited future for the airport after
the war but in 1955 Bristol won a ten year battle for a new city airport.
Lulsgate Botton Airfield was purchased by the Bristol Corporation
for £55,000.
The Duchess of Kent opened the new airport in 1957 and this first
year of operation saw 33,000 passengers and 608,000 kilos of freight
pass through the airport.
Success at the airport took a tumble when in 1973 the collapse of
Court Line had a dramatic effect on passenger numbers. By 1980 however
things had improved and seventeen tour operators were flying from
Bristol.
1984 saw many improvements at the airport including a new International
Departure Lounge with Duty Free Shop and 24 hour airside bar; new
check-in desks and scales; conveyorised baggage system; tour operators'
desks; flight information system and parking and improved disabled
facilities.
In 1987 all employees were transferred from Bristol City council to
Bristol Airport plc and the company began trading. Several more improvements
were made to the terminal during this time and in 1988 100,000 scheduled
passengers passed through the airport.
Record passenger numbers continued and more destinations became available
from the airport. During the 1992/1993 period a million passengers
passed through the airport, Bristol's best achievement yet.
In 1997 Bristol airport was put up for sale by Bristol City Council
and a new terminal was proposed to cope with increasing passenger
figures. The airport was relaunched as Bristol International this
year and was partly sold to FirstGroup. FirstGroup invested £32
million in the development of Bristol International and the autumn
saw the start of the long awaited new £27 million terminal building
that was designed to carry 3.5 million passengers.
The New Terminal was opened in March 2000 by HRH the Princess Royal.
The old terminal building closed to the public and was converted to
offices for many of the staff. 2000 also saw its first direct transatlantic
flight in many years operating to Toronto by Royal Airlines.
In January 2001, Macquarie & Cintra acquired the Airport for £198m.
Go announced in March that it was to make Bristol International its
second UK base.
In February 2002 Bristol International was officially the fastest
growing airport in the UK. In August Bristol International celebrated
handling 3 million passengers in a 12-month period for the first time,
a landmark for the Airport. Passenger numbers continued to rise to
3.8 million in 2003 with many new UK and European routes began.
The Airport could expect to handle some 12m passengers by 2030, requiring
a longer runway and a terminal extension.
Source: Bristol
Airport Guide |
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Evaluation Special |
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| The Bristol Flying Centre DVD includes information about our Flight Training facilities, Engineering Department and FBO Services. If you are interested in obtaining further details about the Centre then please use our Enquiry Form to request your FREE copy. |
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Newsletter |
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Flying Instructors |
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BFC occasionally have opportunities for suitably qualified flying instructors. If you would like to be considered for a position here please send your CV to:
Bristol Flying Centre,
Bristol International Airport,
Bristol,
North Somerset,
BS48 3DP
United Kingdom
Alternatively you can email us at:
HOT2@b-f-c.co.uk |
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