Bristol Airport - General Thread

[TheLocalYokel]

Press release today on BRS website which is self-explanatory:

https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/ab...tre/2016/12/nats-voice-communications-upgrade

NATS helps future-proof Bristol Airportwith airfield voice communications upgrade
Created: 14th Dec 2016

The UK’s leading air navigation services provider NATS has won a new contract to design and deliver a new voice communications system at Bristol Airport.

Over the next 12 months, NATS Services Ltd will replace Bristol’s Voice Communications System (VCS) in an overhaul of the bespoke system that allows air traffic controllers in the airport tower to communicate with the aircraft and vehicles under their management.

NATS is developing, designing and installing the new VCS system, built around the IP-based Frequentis 3020X VCS and Jotron transmitters and receivers, to provide a clear and effective solution capable of meeting Bristol Airport’s current and future technical requirements.

Placed around the airfield and in the tower itself, the new state-of-the-art equipment not only enhances voice clarity and brings the airport up-to-date with the latest technology but also ensures the system is well-placed to connect with technological advances of the future.

Pete Glass, NATS General Manager Air Traffic Services at Bristol Airport, said: “NATS is very excited to have won this important contract. We have an excellent customer relationship with Bristol Airport and we’re pleased to have been asked to replace one of the key pieces of equipment in the tower – it’s a significant success for our engineering team, and one that is testament to great teamwork backed by our wealth of industry expertise.”

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Another recent press release regarding the change of name and expansion of Bristol Flying Centre Group which is, inter alia, a FBO situated on the south side of the airfield with its own terminal and lounge.

https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/ab.../2016/12/centreline-and-flying-centre-rebrand

Centreline Air Charter and Bristol Flying Centre Group renamed as Centreline and undergoes total rebrand
Created: 13th Dec 2016

Bristol Flying Centre Ltd, the parent of Centreline Air Charter, has undergone a total brand review and today unveiled its new identity and website.

The company, now all named Centreline, has rebranded to support its growth and continuing evolution as a European leading full service private jet management organisation.

The extensive rebranding exercise incudes a new website encompassing the company’s board range of aviation services and a total corporate identity change which has been aligned across Aircraft Management, Charter, FBO, Engineering and ATO. In addition to the website, a new pilot uniform, aircraft branding, marketing material and signage has been created.

The new website (www.centreline.aero) will seek to increase Centreline’s online presence and help to communicate with current as well as prospective clients.

Commenting on Centreline’s rebrand, CEO, Tanya Raynes said: “It is important that Centreline retains its established values of being a boutique, customer obsessed company, but at the same time develops a new and modern identity. This is an exciting time for Centreline and during this period of new ownership and growth it is right to invest further into our marketing strategy so creating an even stronger brand presence both on and offline.” Raynes continued: “We have developed an identity that reflects Centreline’s service ethos. No matter how large we become as an organisation we will continue to offer the same bespoke, personal service with some of the most experienced and talented people in the business residing in the Centreline Team”.

Centreline will be unveiling the new brand to customers and brokers over the coming weeks.

In early 2016 Centreline was purchased by Guernsey based family office, Pula Ltd and recently increased its managed fleet of aircraft to nine after gaining the management contract of the UK’s first Legacy 500 aircraft.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Reported today that Swissport will take strike action on 23 and 24 December. Bristol Airport has this notice on its website. I believe that Swissport handles all BRS flights except Aer Lingus Regional and Aurigny. That's what the airport website says anyway.

Swissport provides ground handling services (including check-in and baggage loading) to several airlines operating at Bristol Airport. We are aware that a union representing Swissport staff has announced strike action during the Christmas period. It is not clear at this stage what impact this will have on airlines' flight operations from Bristol Airport, but we will do all we can to keep any disruption to passengers to a minimum. In the meantime, passengers are advised to contact their airline directly with any queries about their Christmas travel plans.

 

[kraktoa]

Oh damn. There goes my christmas eve.

 

[Jerry]

Does anyone have a rough idea how many of the Swissport staff are UNITE members?

 

[kraktoa]

Including check in, bus drivers and baggage handlers Swissport has about 400 staff in BRS. I think about 100 will strike on 23rd. I suspect there will be chaos.

 

[Jerry]

Including check in, bus drivers and baggage handlers Swissport has about 400 staff in BRS. I think about 100 will strike on 23rd. I suspect there will be chaos.

That's a lot of staff! Are they the sole handlers? If not who do they handle?
Sounds like Cardiff might be relatively unscathed by this strike.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

That's a lot of staff! Are they the sole handlers? If not who do they handle?
Sounds like Cardiff might be relatively unscathed by this strike.

Everything except Aurigny and Aer Lingus Regional according to BRS website. I think Menzies may look after those two.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/bristo...bmi-regional/story-29993911-detail/story.html

 

[superking]

I see there was a fire alarm activated last Tuesday. the terminal evacuated,it was a faulty sensor in the terminal.
there was not much disruption so every one went back to doing what ever jobs they were doing.
one good thing came out of it was no need to organise a fire drill practice.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bristol Airport has issued a press release describing the record-breaking 2016 when passenger numbers exceeded 7 mppa for the first time and looking ahead to 2017 when the 8 mppa barrier is expected to be breached.

This confirms what we were told recently by a poster who is well informed on BRS matters. If in excess of 8 mppa really does turn out to be the 2017 total (and all indications are that it will) it will mean that the airport will have increased its passenger throughput by nearly 2 million in three years. At this rate 10 mppa will be in range and the planning consents restriction to this figure will become something tangible rather than a theoretical barrier. I said recently that I wondered if the airport management is already having informal talks with the local authority to see if and how this restriction can be removed, or at least raised.

https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/ab...ews-and-media-centre/2017/1/passenger-numbers
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Passenger numbers at the South West’s major airport exceed 7.5 million in 2016
Created: 4th Jan 2017

More than 7.5 million passengers used Bristol Airport last year, surpassing the total for 2015 by over three quarters of a million passengers.

The record annual number represents an 11.3 per cent increase year on year, and a seventh consecutive year of growth for England’s third largest regional airport.

Both charter and scheduled airline sectors contributed to the rise with the number of direct routes served reaching 117. Airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and bmi regional launched new routes in 2016, with destinations including Sofia, Bucharest, Venice, Nantes and Turin. Traffic over hub airports such as Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Munich and Frankfurt remained strong, with many passengers making onward connections to long-haul flights.

Continued growth is forecast in 2017, with passenger numbers expected to exceed the eight million mark for the first time in the Airport’s history.

To cater for increased passenger demand, work is underway on a £2.3 million project which will take the number of passport control points from the current ten to a total of 17 when it opens in April, including ten of the latest ePassport gates which provide a safe, secure and speedy alternative to the conventional border control process.

As well as introducing new equipment, the work will enlarge the immigration hall which will be redesigned to create a more welcoming environment and streamline the border process for passengers.

These improvements build on other upgrades to the arrivals experience delivered as part of the £24 million west terminal extension, including enlarged meet and greet and baggage reclaim zones, and a new World Duty Free store for arriving passengers. A new security search area is at the heart of the extension, which was officially opened by the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, in December.

Other development projects include a new Silver Zone reception, expanded car parking and additional aircraft stands.
In addition, the construction of a 201-room Hampton by Hilton hotel development is nearing completion and will be available for passengers from spring this year. Beyond the Airport boundary, the imminent completion of the South Bristol Link (SBL) will enhance access to the Airport from the north, east and west. The SBL forms part of the MetroBus network of rapid transit routes in the West of England, to which Bristol Airport is contributing more than £4.7 million towards the cost of construction as part of planning permission for development to handle up to 10 million passengers per annum.

Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer 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 to the whole Airport will further enhance the experience for our passengers this year.”

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bristol - status globally.

I've been reading the Manchester Airport General thread this evening in which a newspaper report was highlighted that put Manchester in the top 20 (it was number 16) Digital European cities based on how well cities support digital entrepreneurs.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.ma.../manchester-makes-europes-top-20-12358949.amp

I then looked at other measurements that rank cities in terms of global stature. In terms of global city rankings, that provided by the Globalisation and World Rankings Research Institute is considered the leading institute in such matters. Economic factors are rated more important that cultural or political ones.

Cities are ranked into Alpha, Beta and Gamma cities. The latest list shows 181 world cities ranked from Alpha++ to Gamma-.

London was top with New York with both being regarded as Alpha++.

Manchester was the next best placed UK city with a Beta ranking which illustrates its stature within the country.

Given its relatively small size (compared with the likes of London, Birmingham and Manchester) Bristol punches extraordinarily well in both the Digital European City list and the global city rankings.

In the European Digital City list it actually came in above Manchester at number 13 (one place behind Cambridge). The only other UK city above was London which was at number one in the list.

https://digitalcityindex.eu

The Bristol/Bath area is home to one of the only two globally significant tech clusters in the UK. I think the other is Cambridge.

Turning to the global city rankings, as already stated London (with New York) is top ranked Alpha++ with Manchester the next highest ranked UK city at Beta. The other UK cities in the rankings are Edinburgh and Birmingham (both Beta-), Bristol (Gamma+) and Leeds, Glasgow and Belfast (all Gamma).

http://www.spottedbylocals.com/blog/alpha-beta-and-gamma-cities/

This is more evidence to illustrate the strong economy of the Bristol region and why its tiny airport does so well despite so many physical limitations.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

BRS press release today.

https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/ab...ocial&utm_content=ASQ - Customer Satisfaction

Bristol Airport Scores Highly on Customer Satisfaction
Created: 1st Feb 2017

South West airport tops table for the second quarter running

Bristol Airport has held on to top spot in the ASQ Survey, an international airport passenger experience benchmarking programme, run by Airports Council International. The programme measures passenger satisfaction at leading UK airports, as well as airports from another 80 countries. Having been ranked number one for overall satisfaction in the third quarter of 2016, the latest results reveal Bristol retained this position for the remainder of the year (October-December).

Airport Service Quality (ASQ) is the industry standard for airports across the world. Airports taking part in the ASQ survey handle a total of 7.1 billion passengers between them – more than half of all annual air journeys.

As well as measuring overall customer satisfaction, ASQ rates airports against more than 30 different indicators, covering all parts of the passenger process, from check-in on departure to baggage reclaim when returning home. Overall satisfaction is also split by journey purpose, enabling airports to assess how well they meet the needs of business and leisure passengers. Bristol Airport was ranked number one in the UK for overall passenger satisfaction, as well as for leisure passengers and on specific indications including ambience.

Bristol Airport’s success was achieved in a record-breaking year in which more than 7.5 million passengers passed through the terminal.

Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Airport, said:
“We are delighted to achieve such strong feedback from our passengers during what was the busiest year in the Airport’s history. It is great to see the improvements we have made to the terminal in recent years, combined with our strong focus on customer service, delivering clear results for our passengers. But we are not standing still. Work is underway on further improvements to the terminal and car parks this year, and we continue to invest in training and support for our frontline teams.”

The annual ASQ airport awards will be publicised globally, March 2017.

Major developments in 2017 will include the final phases of the £24 million terminal extension, including a new Fast Track security channel and arrivals retail outlets. A £2.3 million upgrade to the immigration hall will also deliver improvements for arriving passengers, taking the number of passport control points from the current ten to a total of 17 when it opens ahead of the busy summer season. This will see the introduction of ten of the latest ePassport gates which provide a safe, secure and speedy alternative to the conventional border control process. A further £2.3 million is being invested in a new reception centre and other improvements to the popular Silver Zone car park, often the first experience of the Airport for many passengers.

 

[superking]

Nothing mentioned about the may fly then.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Nothing mentioned about the may fly then.

In what sense?

 

[superking]

In what sense?

In the real reason why they stopped posting it. It must be a case of just pushing a few buttons as some where in the airport office must be some thing on the lines of a may fly. If any sensitive information on it jjust be carefull not to post it. I like ur self and many others I expect used to look at the may fly to see if any thing out the ordinary due for the week. If any tyhing out the ordinary due then ppl planned their week and das etc to go and see aircraft and take som pictures. My rants about the airport I think shows I got so much time on my hands with whats gone on in my life ,that I keep posting airport info and hope its not far from the truth.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The Mayflys are now available each week on the Bristol Airport Spotting website.

http://www.bristolairportspotting.co.uk/spotters-tools/mayflys/

 

[superking]

The Mayflys are now available each week on the Bristol Airport Spotting website.

http://www.bristolairportspotting.co.uk/spotters-tools/mayflys/

Oh right. did not know that. Thank you. Just goes to show if there is something you mention and it brings out answers.

 

[kraktoa]

Article todays Telegraph. Boss of Norwegian wants hook ups with FR and EZY for long distance flights. FR enthusastic but EZY no comments.

 

[kraktoa]

Rare footage of west heritage to be shown on BBC news now. Local BBC news. Trailer showed a b&w footage of a plane.

 

[kraktoa]

It was about the Wayfarer. New footage found in an attic. To be compiled in a film called 'Wings over Filton'

 

[TheLocalYokel]

BRS owners reportedly looking to sell a minority stake in airport

It's being reported that the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTP) that owns 100% of BRS and around 50% of BHX is seeking to sell a minority stake in both airports.

See http://www.4-traders.com/news/Ontar...kes-in-two-British-airports-source--23897671/

An extract from the linked article (see below) suggests that OTP wants to liquidate some of its shares in these airports in what it believes is a sellers' market:

While keen to remain invested in the assets*, the group is looking to take advantage of strong demand from pension funds and other long-term investors for the often-attractive returns on offer from high-quality infrastructure, the source said.

* BRS and BHX

Both BRS and BHX are well-managed and profitable airports with the value of the associated capital assets rising.

This would be by no means the first time that the ownership make-up of BRS has changed.

In 1997 the then sole owners, Bristol City Council, sold a controlling interest to First Group. Four years later First Group and the council sold their interests to the Australian banking and financial group Macquarie and the Spanish conglomerate Ferrovial (through its Cintra subsidiary).

When Ferrovial became involved in the ownership of Heathrow Airport they sold their BRS holdings citing possible competition issues. OTP took a minority share originally as the Macquarie interest (held via a number of its own funds) altered and reduced. Eventually OTP purchased the airport outright.

The various BRS owners going back over the 20 years that the airport has been in the private sector (partially initially) have been extremely supportive in terms of providing the means for the almost non-stop infrastructure expansion that has occurred during that period.

It will be interesting to see who buys the shares that OTP wishes to sell.