Route Development & Rumours

[Jerry]

the planned UK routes being NCL and GLA.

Both airports which are served by Emirates and other hub carriers like Air France and Lufthansa

 

[Severn]

That would surely put Turkish off not encourage them. If Turkish were that set on launching a route to Bristol you'd have thought they'd be at the airport by now.

It is interesting that in TK’s last statement about future routes, there was no mention of BRS, the planned UK routes being NCL and GLA.

Here's a little table I put together listing the UK airports that handle over 4,000,000 pax per year, and which (if any) airline operate to Istanbul from these airports.
It highlights that BRS is the largest airport not yet served by Turkish Airlines, however now PGT is on the route, maybe Turkish will follow? Either way, GLA and NCL are the next largest airports not served at all from Istanbul so it makes sense they're on Turkish Airlines' radar.

 

[Jerry]

It highlights that BRS is the largest airport not yet served by Turkish Airlines, however now PGT is on the route, maybe Turkish will follow? Either way, GLA and NCL are the next largest airports not served at all from Istanbul so it makes sense they're on Turkish Airlines' radar.

If you look at the airports that Turkish serve including the potential of Glasgow and Newcastle they do all have a significant amount of other hub carriers including Emirates. With Turkish it's not necessarily going to be about the point 2 point traffic. Bristol doesn't really have that sort of network it only has KLM.

Newcastle has BA, Air France, Emirates, Lufthansa and KLM and Glasgow BA, Emirates, Lufthansa and KLM. All could be considered competition that Turkish might want to take passengers off especially Emirates.

 

[Severn]

Here's another little table I put together listing the UK airports that handle over 4,000,000 pax per year, and which (if any) see operations to the ME3. One takeaway I found is that Emirates clearly leads the pack with the number of UK airports served and departures per week, but I didn't realise how small in comparison Etihad's presence is in the UK market.
One would assume that (along with TK?), Emirates, maybe QR, would be the most likely candidates for a route to the Middle East from Bristol.

 

[Marko1]

I don’t quite understand why Bristol cannot keep the business carriers such as. Lufthansa and Air France ( both have tried multiple times ). It always seems where there is going to be cuts it’s Bristol that gets the cuts.

Whilst it would be amazing to get a big ME carrier I think it would be much better to have regular daily links to Frankfurt and Munich first and further develop Amsterdam and Paris.

 

[Jerry]

I don’t quite understand why Bristol cannot keep the business carriers such as

It does seem a bit odd considering how successful an airport is it does seem to struggle with non based carriers especially hub ones except KLM of course. I suspect Heathrow is a big factor but BHX seems to have no problem in that regards.

 

[BRSregular]

Bristol focusing on european hubs with national carriers would be better (albeit not as headline-grabbing) than a ME carrier. We need Swiss/Austria, Turkish and Finnair for global connectivity.

 

[Jerry]

Bristol focusing on european hubs with national carriers would be better (albeit not as headline-grabbing) than a ME carrier. We need Swiss/Austria, Turkish and Finnair for global connectivity.

Well getting Lufthansa back should be a priority as well whether its Frankfurt or Munich. Munich might be better given that it's better city break option than Frankfurt.

 

[Jerry]

Could Bristol be next?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1938920885576180049

 

[forest1979]

Could Bristol be next?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1938920885576180049

Unlikely I think. Bristol was muted some years ago and it hasn’t happened. With Pegasus now on town I can’t see it myself. I heard NCL before Bristol.

 

[Jerry]

Unlikely I think. Bristol was muted some years ago and it hasn’t happened. With Pegasus now on town I can’t see it myself. I heard NCL before Bristol.

NCL has been muted for some while now. With Easyjet and now Pegasus on the route it could put Turkish off.

 

[Marko1]

I truly believe that ship has sailed. It’s been talked about for a decade with no route launched. We already have two airlines on the route - no need for a third. Turkish missed their chance

Better to get Lufthansa back tbh

 

[Marko1]

All very quiet on the route news front - apart from easyJet there has been nothing announced recently. Any sign of anything in the pipe works ?

 

[Jerry]

It would be interesting to know whether airlines like Lufthansa are contemplating a return?

 

[Finger66]

@Marko1 and @Jerry think BRS has secured a NIL NIL draw with LBA. Ridiculously quiet in our neck of the woods too

 

[Marko1]

It would be interesting to know whether airlines like Lufthansa are contemplating a return?

They seem to be cutting back elsewhere from the uk so I would say unlikely but happy to be corrected .

I was thinking maybe another attempt at transatlantic may be an option - United starting Glasgow this summer - who knows ?

 

[Jerry]

United starting Glasgow this summer - who knows ?

Scotland seems to have a unique pull for US airlines though.

@Marko1 and @Jerry think BRS has secured a NIL NIL draw with LBA. Ridiculously quiet in our neck of the woods too

Well i saw a post the other day from SPD_TRAVELS stating that 2026 looks to be the first summer in a while that Manchester hasn't had a new airline. It seems that the growth for a lot of airports is from airlines already established at them rather than new ones.

 

[gulftraveller]

Not so much a unique pull as much as a large inbound tourist market.

 

[Marko1]

Not so much a unique pull as much as a large inbound tourist market.

Cotswolds and Bath are both very popular with Americans tho

 

[Jerry]

Cotswolds and Bath are both very popular with Americans tho

But pretty accessible from London though compared to Scotland. When it comes to hub airlines and transatlantic that's one of the challenges for Bristol. Heathrow is just down the road.