Infrastructure, Construction & Developments

[TheLocalYokel]

Many thanks for that big g.

The minutes of the recent airport consultative committee meeting have been published and include an update on infrastructure developments.

1. The passenger security search area will be extended in time for the start of the summer 2012 season. It was completely revamped and expanded several years ago in a multi-million pound initiative. (my italics).

2. A contract had been entered into for the replacement of the primary surveillance
radar.

3. Enhancements will be made to gate 10 in the western walkway which is a pre-boarding gate to meet the needs of business travellers and will include seating and wifi.

One of the committee members (an opponent of airport expansion) queried the legality of placing seating within the western walkway as it was constructed as general permitted development without the need for formal planning permission and was restricted in the type of facilites that could be housed there. The airport CEO pointed out that the planning consent granted last year for the major expansion superseded this and the previous restrictions no longer applied.

4. It was confirmed that work would be commencing shortly on the provision of three new aircraft stand which was the first phase of the implementation of the airport’s planning permission. The work has already commenced as discussed in recent posts within this thread.

 

[big g]

As well as the new stands being built they are also constructing hard standing for the winter equipment on the south side near to the fire training rig, I'm not sure if they will be constructing a large hanger/shed in the cuter to house the equipment.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Work on Bristol Airport expansion steps up

The first part of major expansion work is beginning to take shape at Bristol Airport, the Western Mercury reports. The building work to increase the number of aircraft stands, the first of 30 different projects as part of the airport’s regeneration, started in November but in recent weeks the level of progress has stepped up after the airport was able to move on from months of legal wrangling.

The £150 million expansion project aims to allow the airport to cope with a projected increase in passenger numbers from 6 million last year to 10 million by 2020. The airport is currently increasing the number of stands from 26 to 33, and some stands have also been altered to allow them to accommodate larger planes. The first three new stands are due to be completed by the spring.

Source[/textarea]

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Bristol Airport To Improve Family Offering

Bristol Airport say they're doing what they can to improve their facilities for Families, after getting bad results in a survey.

The airport were voted 9th out of 10 for being Family-Friendly, with factors like children's play areas and food options being taken into account.

Bristol was ranked highly for it's food but had complaints from customers that it was cramped and overcrowded.

James Gore, who is the airport spokesperson told us: "It's disappointing to be ranked so far down the table. But as soon as we get the report through in full, we'll be taking a good look through it, and finding out what we can learn, and be better going forward."

Edinburgh was ranked the top airport, with Glasgow second.[/textarea]

http://www.jackbristol.com/news/bristol ... ring-7296/

The survey covered the UK's top ten airports in terms of passengers handled.

The full list was as follows with marks out of ten for each airport.

1 Edinburgh 7.26
2 Glasgow 7.18
3 Liverpool 7.13
4 Manchester 6.95
5 Gatwick 6.91
6 Luton 6.76
7 Birmingham 6.76
8 Stansted 6.69
9 Bristol 6.56
10 Heathrow 6.53

Bristol's terminal was completed in 2000 and designed for about 3-3.5 mppa. Subsequent expansion not requiring formal planning consent increased the capacity a bit but there are times when the near 6 mppa does create congestion in parts of the terminal.

Because of the long drawn-out planning procedures for the major expansion that the airport first published around 2005 the timescale has fallen several years behind.

Recently advertisements were published seeking contractors for the £150 million expansion works. How quickly work will start on the doubling of the terminal building size, which the airport has always stated will be amongst the work to be tackled first, remains to be seen.

 

[Aviador]

Does anybody know if the initial plans to extend the terminal have altered at all? Have the renders changed at all?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The basic plans remain the same so far as I'm aware.

This link features a computer-generated animation of a trip around the outside of the planned development. It looks very impressive.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJfHPHuR1oQ&feature=plcp&context=C3a1a580UDOEgsToPDskLG3-L6Sprdadi7cBGemck-[/video]

The next link features a page on the airport's website that is full of pics and information about the development.

http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/about-u ... pment.aspx

The last link leads to Bristol Airport's Youtube page and contains a number of videos about the airport and the development plans, car parking, retail outlets, etc.

The videos are professionally made and some feature actors. They demonstrate how proactive the airport management is, and has been for many years, which in no small way has led to the airport's outperformance, especially when the constricted site and poor surface access is considered.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BristolAirportUK/videos

 

[Aviador]

I love the airports Youtube about the airport and it's retail offering. The airport looks really good. It's the first time I've seen beyond the check-in area as seen on TV!

The airport company really means business. The plans look fantastic. I see there's a few air bridges illustrated in the video. I understand there are non at the moment?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

You're right - there are no air bridges.

It may not be entirely clear on the videos but the airport terminal is built into the side of a hill. Therefore, after entering from the street and checking in on the ground floor you ascend one floor (by stairs, escalator or lift) to what is the ground floor airside. There is also a mezzanine floor airside.

I'm told, so can't be absolutely certain, that the planning consents for the current terminal did not include air bridges mainly, I suppose, on the grounds that there were no piers or other suitable areas in which to install them.

With above ground walkways and piers (the western walkway is already in use) the use of air bridges becomes feasible.

However, with BRS mainly served by low cost airlines who don't seem to be keen on them, especially Ryanair, their use may be limited.

The multi-million pound western walkway, completed nearly two years ago, was allowed under GPD (general permitted development that doesn't require formal planning consent) which means it is very limited in the facilities it can provide as it must not increase the terminal floor space which had already been increased under a previous GPD by the small percentage level allowed.

The western walkway is over 400 metres long to the far end and it originally had few seats or any facilites normally expected in what appears to be part of the inside of the terminal. Now the local authority has granted permission for the major expansion this supersedes the GPD restrictions placed on the western walkway.

I know the airport management is aware of passenger complaints about the basic nature of the walkway and is already putting in place measures to improve the passenger experience there. Ideally a moving walkway (travelator) would be installed in the walkway but they are expensive and may not be cost-effective.

 

[Aviador]

Airports generally charge extra for the privilege of using air bridges. The dispute between Ryanair and Alicante airport was said to be about the airport 'forcing' Ryanair to use air bridges. Although Easyjet prefer not to use them they don't seem to mind so much if they are allocated them. Jet2, Air France KLM, Thomson Airways & Thomas Cook along with most other charter carriers don't seem to mind using them.

With regards to the walkways as we have discussed before, no matter what you do people complain. Travelator are good if they're working but having seen them in operation at Manchester airport I've always found that many are out of action and they become just something else for moaners to complain about.

 

[tleeds]

I hope you don't mind me joining in here.

Wouldn't Thomas Cook and Thomson be the primary users of the walkways if they were to be constructed. Myself and Aviador know very well that both these airlines are keen to use the walkways at LBA when they are available, but I suppose with

I know that nearly every English airline, such as easyJet/Jet2, use the walkways in Malaga as they are effectively forced to as there are no remote stands from what seems to be 'The British Pier', but then again Aena (The Spanish Airport Authority) may have lower or even no extra costs to use them as you have no option.

Again in Spain Travelator's are very common and are usually on all the time.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Wouldn't Thomas Cook and Thomson be the primary users of the walkways if they were to be constructed. Myself and Aviador know very well that both these airlines are keen to use the walkways at LBA when they are available, but I suppose with

Bristol already has walkways - the western walkway which is a 400 metre-plus covered passageway at first floor level that extends from the main terminal departure area and has stations and gates at intervals along it, plus the older walkways that serve the eastern apron that are at ground floor level and nothing more than covered pavements.

There will be more walkways when the expansion goes ahead, including one to the far end of the eastern apron at first floor level together with piers running at right angles from the walkways, which will feature air bridges at intervals.

I suppose TOM and TCX might use the air bridges along with the likes of KLM and some of the other charter airlines. I've used air bridges at other airports with easyJet on occasions, I think Edinburgh for starters.

Incidentally, if you haven't found it the previous page in this thread contains a very good computer animation of what is intended to be built at Bristol Airport in its £150 million expansion. The walkway shown at first floor level by the control tower is the western walkway that's already in use.

With regards to the walkways as we have discussed before, no matter what you do people complain. Travelator are good if they're working but having seen them in operation at Manchester airport I've always found that many are out of action and they become just something else for moaners to complain about.

I never bother about moving walkways and I'm not in the first flush of youth, though still pretty active. I remember walking several hundred metres recently after arrival at Gatwick North and can't even remember if there were walkways there - I suspect there might well have been.

Amsterdam was always my favourite large airport, except for their depressing habit of mislaying your luggage, and their one-terminal layout resulted in a lot of ground to be covered making walkways there essential for many people.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The minutes of the airport consultative committee meeting for January have now been published on the BRS website and show that members were brought up to date regarding some infrastructure developments:

1. The three new aircraft stands that have been under construction through the winter should be completed by April.

2. Work on extending the security search area is proceeding.

3. It's proposed to develop a new immigration channel to provide additional capacity for inbound arrivals.

 

[Aviador]

Hi TheLocalYokal

Sounds like just minor tweaks then? Does that mean there is going to be no imminent start to the £150m airport development scheme just jet?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Sounds like just minor tweaks then? Does that mean there is going to be no imminent start to the £150m airport development scheme just jet?

No, this is not in lieu of the major expansion, apart from the three new stands which are the first part, albeit a relatively minor one in terms of expense.

BRS does these sorts of 'tweaks' almost continually.

In the past two months the airport has been seeking contractors for the major expansion which will obviously take a while to finalise having regard to the cost and the amount of work involved.

The airport always said it will do the expansion incrementally as traffic builds with an extended main terminal building (to nearly double in size) the priority.

Perhaps later this year or early next might see the beginning of the preparatory work for the major part of the expansion.

 

[Seasider]

It appears to me that John Parkin has left a good legacy at BRS and they are continuing the good work he set up.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

John Parkin was the CEO who was instrumental in attracting Go in 2001 which then led to easyJet.

Barbara Cassani (CEO of Go) in her book on the airline devotes a chapter to the setting up of their second base at Bristol - with Stansted their first base of course. She speaks well of JP who was quick off the mark and sold the airport's potential to Go in the face of competition from airports around the UK and in Europe.

Bristol has been extremely fortunate in the choice of its CEOs from the time the late Les Wilson arrived from Luton over thirty years ago to begin to turn around what was a small loss-making city council-owned facility that many councillors would have been glad to close.

Les who became a legend in his own lifetime had Bristol Airport running through his veins but sadly was killed in a road accident in the mid 1990s which led to JP's appointment. Even Les would be astonished to see what the airport has now become. I think it was when JP arrived that the title changed to CEO - Les had been the MD.

When JP left for Newcastle Airport Andrew Skipp the finance director became CEO and did well but was unfortunate to be in charge at the time of the runway resurfacing incident in 2007 when the airport had to close for a day following several incidents involving landing aircraft. It's thought by some that Andrew fell on his sword sometime afterwards when he left to take up 'new challenges' - I don't know what he's doing now.

Paul Kehoe then breezed in and out quickly - he's now at BHX - before the present incumbent, Kiwi Robert Sinclair, took over the reins over three years ago.

BRS also has an excellent senior management team some of whom have been there for a long time, with promotions from within not uncommon. For example, The current aviation director, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of civil aviation in the south west corner of Britain and beyond, has worked at the airport for over a quarter of a century and worked his way up 'through the ranks'.

This close-knit, experienced and very able team, together with supportive owners, has enabled the airport to punch above its weight in the view of many, especially having regard to the constricted site and awkward surface access.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Hydrock wins Bristol Airport contract

Bristol-based engineering consultancy Hydrock has been appointed to work on the west terminal extension at the city's airport.

The company has been awarded the civil and structural engineering contract for the first stage of Bristol Airport's multimillion-pound development.

Hydrock is set to work on the initial scheme design and aims to prepare the employer's requirements documentation by the beginning of summer 2012.

The west terminal extension will be a three-storey structure, incorporating a single storey basement, of concrete frame construction with a steel frame to the front elevation.[/textarea]

Full report at http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/sou ... -contract/

This contract relates to the expansion of the terminal building which will nearly double in size and it seems the work will done in two stages with the extension to the west the first part to go ahead.

 

[big g]

This is some good news just need some more airlines and routes to fill it!

I see the frame work for hanger on the South side that will house the snow equipment is now well under way.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

This is some good news just need some more airlines and routes to fill it!

Robert Sinclair (airport CEO) forecasts a 2-3% rise in passenger numbers this year according to recent consultative committee minutes which suggests the summer will be busier than last as this winter is likely to be less so, as instanced by the 3.5% decline in passenger numbers in January.

Remains to be seen how next winter pans out - mainly depends on the economy I suppose but that applies to most airports.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Can anyone tell me the purpose of the work next to the rental car area?

A large area of the nearby car park is being dug up.