Bristol: General Airport News, Updates & Discussion

[TheLocalYokel]

Yes it is produced and made available to business partners.

Many thanks.

 

[superking]

25.000 pax due to fly today Friday 20th.
1.000 pax due to fly on Christmas day.
Both good numbers.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

25.000 pax due to fly today Friday 20th.
1.000 pax due to fly on Christmas day.
Both good numbers.

Yes, there were 87 departures listed today, although the easyJet to Isle of Man was cancelled for some reason. That's a decent number for winter. Tomorrow there are 77. Once the ski season arrives the winter Saturdays bump up.

 

[forest1979]

A piece in the welsh news today talking about how CWL was losing money and another unprofitable year. Many people commenting that Bristol was their airport of choice because of price (with extended travel to get there for some) and destinations.
How involved are the welsh government?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

A piece in the welsh news today talking about how CWL was losing money and another unprofitable year. Many people commenting that Bristol was their airport of choice because of price (with extended travel to get there for some) and destinations.
How involved are the welsh government?

Cardiff Airport is wholly owned by the Welsh Government (WG) through an 'arm's-length' airport company. The WG purchased the airport in 2013 from its previous Spanish owners who had allowed it to deteriorate alarmingly, reportedly only spending sufficient money on it to keep it 'legal' in terms of a certificated airport. The major recession of the late 'noughties' also had a major affect on the airport's performance with, for example, annual passenger numbers falling by around 50% from the 2007 high of just over two million.

Since buying the airport in 2013 the WG has seen annual passenger numbers rise from just over one million a year to 1.6 million with almost continual growth during that time. The original plan as espoused by the first minister at the time was to seek a private sector partner but, for whatever reason, that has not come about but certainly hasn't been dismissed as a future option.

The WG paid £52 for the airport and has also made over £50 million available to its airport company as loans to be repaid on a commercial basis. The WG sees its airport as an asset for the whole of Wales, one that will assist in expanding the country's economy, and although it clearly wants the airport to become profitable the WG seems willing to bide its time given that the alternative might be closure, something that the previous first minister suggested was a serious option had the government not purchased the airport although how much this statement was aimed at political opponents of the purchase is hard to tell.

As this is a BRS thread and BRS were clearly hopeful of attracting Qatar it's worth pointing out that the WG struck a deal with Qatar Airways to market Wales around ther world. According to press reports the WG (not its airport company) and Qatar Airways both contributed one million pounds to the two-year agreement with an option of a further two years under the same financial conditions. I'm not suggesting for a minute that this was the reason that BRS failed to entice Qatar Airways - the airline CEO outlined several other reasons for choosing CWL - but it is an example of the importance the WG attaches to its airport.

Although CWL has remained loss-making since being bought by the WG the latest substantial increase in the annual loss has to be seen in the context that around half is a write-down of the value of intangible assets on the airport company books.

The WG also believes that smaller airports across the UK are disadvantaged because their fixed costs are disproportionately higher than airports with greater passenger throughput. Although CWL's passenger numbers have risen markedly over the past six years they have still not reached a point where the fixed costs begin to be evened out by the increased revenue streams that higher passenger numbers would bring.

There seem to be two factors that would help CWL's growth towards profitability, both of which could affect BRS to a significant degree.

The first is devolution of APD to the Welsh Government who would probably reduce or abolish the tax with an eye to attracting new airlines and an increased presence of existing ones. The second is a permanent BRS cap of 10 mppa causing airlines to seek other airports if they wished to serve or expand their service to the West Country with CWL likely to benefit.

 

[forest1979]

Interesting.. personally hoping that Cap and APD devolution doesn’t happen. Both not great for the airport, economy or joe public..
Aside from the above, I fear that the climate emergency will take front and centre of politics and prove very difficult for infrastructure projects in the UK.
To be clear.. Totally supportive of action against climate change but some of the noise around this topic I think makes sensible debates and arguments somewhat shut down at 1st base.. point I’m making is that Bristol expansion I think will get somewhat harder in the next decade..

 

[Jerry]

Doing a bit of planespotting at Bristol today and definitely a big difference in my planespotting experience between Manchesterairport from last week and Bristol Airport today!
Not just in the variety of airlines especially short haul but the facilities available for the actual planespotting itself.
They are worlds apart!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Doing a bit of planespotting at Bristol today and definitely a big difference in my planespotting experience between Manchesterairport from last week and Bristol Airport today!
Not just in the variety of airlines especially short haul but the facilities available for the actual planespotting itself.
They are worlds apart!

The best places for spotting and pictures are either from the lane at the western end of the runway (although there is a high fence there and I have seen serious picture-takers use long ladders to get a clear shot over the top of the fence) or at Felton Common at the eastern end to the east of the A38. The site at the western end provides one of the most stunning backgrounds to take-offs and landings of any airport in the country with the Severn estuary 600 feet below and Wales beyond that, with the view especially spectacular on a sunny and clear day.

The BRS owners and management, probaby understandably, don't go out of their way to cater for aviation enthusiasts as they don't contribute much to the balance sheet. Even airside with its extremely restricted view of the airfield there is little to cater for enthusiasts, although the open air terrace at the eastern end of the terminal does provide a view of sorts.

BRS and MAN are worlds apart, full stop. One is easily the UK's biggest and busiest airport outside the London area whilst the other is a small regional airport. Not being a spotter the lack of variety of aircraft types and airlines doesn't bother me. I'm just happy to have a good selection of short-haul routes with the option of using either a hub or LHR for long-haul, with further options for long-haul at CWL and BHX.

 

[Jerry]

(although there is a high fence there and I have seen serious picture-takers use long ladders to get a clear shot over the top of the fence)

Yeah i had to use my ladder today and even then especially filming as runway 27 was in use and the fence gets in the way. A platform would be nice but i doubt it'll ever be high on BRS's priority list! Even lowering the fence would be nice!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Yeah i had to use my ladder today and even then especially filming as runway 27 was in use and the fence gets in the way. A platform would be nice but i doubt it'll ever be high on BRS's priority list! Even lowering the fence would be nice!

I believe it's partly a deer fence. Years ago it was lower but I think that some of Rudolph's relations found their way onto the airfield in the past.

 

[superking]

The fence was first put up for one of the conditions for continental to operate from BRS. Its been made higher as TLY says due to wildlife. The ice cream van does a roaring trade weekends in summer but not sure about winter. The ice cream van parks in Winters lane the western end of the runway.

 

[Jerry]

The ice cream van parks in Winters lane the western end of the runway.

It wasn't there today that's for sure!

 

[superking]

Ice cream van does sundays,not sure about other days. Im sure its not there winter time. I think the salesman is a plane spotter as if one lands or takes off all sales stop so the guy can look at aircraft. I must ask the guy next tie I see him there if he is a spotter or if he uses FORUMS 4 AIRPORTS.He might surprise me and tells me what name he uses on here.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bristol Airport becomes first airport in Europe to offset all road journeys

Bristol Airport has become the first airport in Europe to offset all passenger journeys to and from the Airport by road. The carbon offsetting scheme came into effect on 1 January and forms part of the Airport’s Carbon Roadmap which was published last year.

www.bristolairport.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bristol woman in court after causing havoc on flight to Bristol Airport

"So what would happen if I opened the door mid-flight?"

www.bristolpost.co.uk

Doesn't mention the airline in the report so I've put this in the BRS General thread.

A drunken woman on a Corfu-Bristol flight pleaded guilty to two charges of assault as well as threatening behaviour towards aircrew, being drunk on an aircraft and failing to obey the command of the pilot to stop drinking.

The Bristol Crown Court judge imposed a sentence comprising a two-year community order with 40 hours' unpaid work, rehabilitation and a three months curfew in which she must remain indoors from 7pm to 7am.

How pathetic is that? At least it will stop her trying to take a night flight somewhere.🙄

Rehabilitation is one thing but have courts lost sight of their other primary objective which is to impose punishments aimed at deterring future offending by the person concerned and others?

Still, I suppose it all provides work for the private sector community rehabilitation companies.

 

[Scottie Dog]

OI'm not quite certain where to put this, so please feel free to move itif you wish.

Bristol Airport designated as a "co-ordinated" airport

Bristol Airport: designation as a 'coordinated' airport

Proposal to designate Bristol Airport as a 'coordinated' airport and appointment of Airport Coordination Limited as the coordinator.

www.gov.uk

 

[Jerry]

OI'm not quite certain where to put this, so please feel free to move itif you wish.

Bristol Airport designated as a "co-ordinated" airport

Bristol Airport: designation as a 'coordinated' airport

Proposal to designate Bristol Airport as a 'coordinated' airport and appointment of Airport Coordination Limited as the coordinator.

www.gov.uk

What would that mean for the airport in the future?

 

[Scottie Dog]

Not a lot as far as I understand. I believe it just means that, because of the number of movements, it becomes easier to have an independent company co-ordinating the allocation of slots.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

OI'm not quite certain where to put this, so please feel free to move itif you wish.

Bristol Airport designated as a "co-ordinated" airport

Bristol Airport: designation as a 'coordinated' airport

Proposal to designate Bristol Airport as a 'coordinated' airport and appointment of Airport Coordination Limited as the coordinator.

www.gov.uk

What would that mean for the airport in the future?

BRS has been a level 3 coordinated airport during summer (BST) between 2300 and 0700 since 2018. The airport successfully applied to the DfT to become a partial level 3 coordinated airport in order to better manage its night movement and noise quota restrictions imposed by its planning consents of 2011.

I assume that the new application to become a level 3 fully coordinated airport on a year-round basis is to better manage what it hopes will be continuing growth beyond its current 10 mppa planning limit. I note the application was submitted last November. I can't remember reading anything about it in the 235-page report from the North Somerset Council officers' that was considered by the North Somerset Council planning committee when they rejected the airport's application earlier this month (and in so doing also rejected their own officers' recommendations to approve it) to have its annual passenger cap lifted to 12 mppa with associated infrastructure expansion.

It was reported late last year that easyJet had bought some of Thomas Cook's slots at Gatwick and Bristol for £36 million. How much of this sum if any of it related to BRS is not clear. Whether this sort of thing will apply at BRS in future outside the current summer night time slot coordinated period I don't know. If the airport is allowed to grow beyond 10 mppa through any appeal it might make against the local authority's rejection decision then I guess it well might.

 

[Marko1]

https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/~/media/files/brs/about-us/environment/brs-demand-capacity/191201---brs-demand-and-capacity-assessment-report-2019-(002).ashx?la=en

This is part of the submission and makes some interesting reading.
To me where is the extra demand coming from ?