MADRID: Turnover has approached £90m at Bristol Airport thanks to an 11 per cent rise in passenger numbers. Growth was boosted by a number of new routes from key airlines as well as the extension of the West Terminal.
According to recently-field accounts for Bristol Airport Ltd, turnover was £89.9m in the year ending 31 December 2016, up from £78.9m in 2015. Pre-tax profit also increased to £35.9m from £31.2m the year before. Passenger numbers grew to 7.53 million, up 11.3 per cent on the previous year and ahead of the UK average of 6.7 per cent.
Robert Sinclair, chief executive at Bristol Airport, said: “These figures demonstrate that demand for air travel to and from the South West and South Wales continues to grow, with more passengers than ever making Bristol their airport of choice.
“We expect this trend to continue throughout 2017, and the improvements we are making across the airport will continue to enhance the experience for passengers.”
Bristol Airport said the majority of growth had come from low cost carriers. easyJet increased passenger volumes by more than 10 per cent through the addition of a 13th aircraft in the peak summer months, while Ryanair passenger number rose by 13 per cent after expanding its network from the airport.
Wizz Air also increased its route network from two to four, with additional services to Sofia in Bulgaria and Warsaw in Poland, while WOW air launched a flight to Reykjavik in Iceland from May 2016.
Expenditure on capital projects rose by £11.1m to £33.4m during 2016, with the construction of the West Terminal extension the largest project. The extension opened in stages during 2016, with the final phase due to open in the first quarter of 2017, and the total cost is expected to be £24m.
Following the year end, a Hampton by Hilton branded hotel has opened its doors at Bristol Airport in February 2017. The 201-room hotel is the first to be based at the airport.
British Airways has also recently announced that it will operate flights from the airport for the first time in ten years, with services to Malaga, Ibiza and Palma in Spain and to the Italian city of Florence from May 2017.
