CAA Provisional Statistics Update

[Aviador]

Re: Passenger Figures

I'd go along with that theory LocalYokel. BRS is the airport to watch because like you say it's looking like BRS will recover quicker than most other airports so it will give other airports a good idea of how quickly they might recover once the recovery begins.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Passenger Figures

According to the airport CEO the BRS passenger figures would have been up around 5% in January but for the snow.

The airport figures actually show a miniscule rise of 0.2% in passenger numbers for January over January 2009 but that's because the airport doesn't include transit passengers (typically 2-3,000 per month) in its figures. It never has and so they are always marginally lower in total than the CAA stats that do include transit figures for all airports. Ergo they were lower in Janaury 2009 than the CAA stats hence the slight variation between the two in percentage differences.

Incidentally, the allusion in the attached report to Bristol Airport's 80th anniversary later this year refers to the airport for Bristol and not BRS/EGGD at Lulsgate. The city's airport opened at Whitchurch, also on the south side of the city, in 1930 and was moved to Lulsgate in 1957. Whitchurch became the UK's only significant civil land based airport in World War 2 with the famous link to Lisbon that saw all sorts of famous and notorious characters carried on the several times a week service. But I digress.

[textarea]PASSENGER NUMBERS UP AT BRISTOL INTERNATIONAL

In the first month of the new year, more people used Bristol International than in the same month last year, signalling a return to growth at the airport.

There were 322,108 passengers in January 2010, an increase of 542 passengers (or 0.2 per cent) over January 2009. Growth was achieved despite significant disruption to flights caused by severe weather across the UK and Europe. It is estimated that, without the impact of the worst snowfall in thirty years, an increase in passenger numbers of at least five per cent would have been recorded.

Bristol International performed well in comparison to other regional airports across the UK, most of whom experienced double digit declines in January. Both charter and scheduled international business saw a year on year increase, driven by a strong ski programme and increased flights from Brussels Airlines, respectively.

Growth is expected to continue as the year progresses, with the first quarter of 2010 seeing the introduction of new routes by Ryanair, easyJet and Flybe. Brussels Airlines also began operating a third daily flight to the Belgian capital on 10 January, opening up access to convenient onward connections across Europe and Africa.

Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer of Bristol International Airport, said:

“This is an encouraging result which demonstrates the resilience of the South West market. We forecast continued growth throughout 2010, with this summer potentially our busiest ever, underlining the need to plan now to ensure facilities are in place to meet future demand and secure the benefits the airport brings to the region.”

2010 will be a year of landmarks at Bristol International. The airport celebrates its 80th anniversary in May, while Continental Airlines will mark five years of transatlantic flights from Bristol in the same month. In March, the terminal building will be ten years old and is expected to handle its 50 millionth passenger towards the end of the year.

Significant improvements are scheduled to be completed over the coming months, including a 450m long walkway linking the terminal to aircraft stands on the western apron. The walkway will reduce the need for buses to transfer passengers between the terminal building and arriving and departing planes.

A state-of-the-art ‘walk through’ tax and duty free store will also open in the spring, with regional products showcased in a ‘Best of the West’ range.[/textarea]

http://www.cisionwire.com/bristol-inter ... ernational

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Passenger Figures

February 2010

The local paper reports that Bristol handled 364,906 passengers in February 2010, up 14% on February 2009.

A 14% increase each month this year would see the airport handle around 6.3 mppa in 2010.

Although the airport CEO is confident of a good year I don't think he believes numbers will reach that level (they did a couple of years ago) quite so soon, although 6 million might be seen.

It seems the notion about Bristol being one of the last airports to suffer the recession and one of the first to recover is on track with these figures.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Passenger Figures

March 2010

CAA stats show 429,565 passengers were handled in March, up 9.5% on March 2009.

Atms were up 3.3% which again suggests that the rise in passenger figures is not because there were more flights pro rata.

The rolling 12-month figure ending 31 March 2010 was 5,696,920, down 4.2% on a year ago.

It will be interesting to see if the monthly passenger rises settle down at around 8-9% through the summer. If so it will see Bristol again handling over 6 mppa in a calendar year.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Passenger Figures

[textarea]Busy Bank Holiday expected at Bristol Airport

Passenger numbers at Bristol Airport this weekend are expected to reach the highest levels seen since the recent volcanic ash disruption. Up to 80,000 passengers will pass through the terminal over the four day period from Friday 30 April to Monday 3 May.

Destinations outside the Eurozone continue to be popular, with flights to Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia departing over the course of the weekend. Onward connections via hub airports such as Amsterdam , Paris Charles de Gaulle and Brussels are also expected to be busy as travellers take the chance to visit friends and family overseas or return home for the holiday weekend.

However, it is not all one-way traffic. Thousands of inbound passengers will be flying in to visit the South West, with Bristol’s high profile hosting of the recent election debate attracting visitors looking for an interesting destination for a city break.

The busy schedule means departing passengers should ensure they allow enough time to check-in, clear security and board their flight.

Shaun Browne, Aviation Director at Bristol Airport, said:

“Check-in, security search and boarding can take time, particularly for families and large groups. By arriving at least two hours ahead of their scheduled departure time, passengers can help us keep queues to a minimum.”[/textarea]

http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/news-an ... liday.aspx

 

[alphagolf]

Re: Passenger Figures

Passengers Figures - May 2010

Bristol Airport reporting that passengers numbers were up 5.3% in May.

Over 500,000 pax travelled through even with some disruption due to the Icelandic Volcano. International travel rose by almost 10% over May 2009.

http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/new...eases/2010/06/passenger-numbers-increase.aspx

 

[Aviador]

That's excellent news for Bristol airport and whilst not as great an increase as they had hoped as you say the Icelandic Volcano had paid it's part to that. I have to say, during the recession I think Bristol Airport was probably one of the best performing and least effected airports in the UK.

 

[alphagolf]

MAY 2010

CAA Stats for May as follows:

519,778 Pax through the terminal up 5.4% on May 2009

4,905 ATM's up 5% on May 2009

Rolling Pax 5,676,990 down 1.7% year on year.

Some good growth in the coming months will move BRS in to positive growth year on year. :yahoo:

 

[Aviador]

How with the Continental withdrawal effect the year on year passenger totals?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

How with the Continental withdrawal effect the year on year passenger totals?

CO carried over 83,000 passengers on the EWR route in 2009.

 

[alphagolf]

Bristol Airport reporting passengers up 8.52% in June 2010

[textarea]Charter 122,447 up 0.98%
Scheduled International 361,597 up 13.20%
Scheduled Domestic 99,555 up 2.72%
Other 208 down -40.74%
Total 583,807 up 8.52%[/textarea]

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

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Very good overall passenger growth figures for June, the second highest June in the airport's history after 2008 when 613,000 passengers were handled.

On the face of things the charter numbers are slightly concerning. After two or three years of continuing falling charter passenger numbers and flights (no different to most UK airports over that period) June 2010 actually saw an increase in charter flights of over 9.5% on June 2009 (probably mainly due to the new Viking base) but charter passenger numbers were up only a gnat's whisker short of one per cent.

This suggests that charter loads were on average lower than a year ago.

Indeed, in 2010 to date there has been an increase in charter flights of nearly 6.5% over the same period in 2009 but charter passenger numbers in this period are only up just shy of 2%.

Nevertheless, 2010 is progressing very steadily and the calendar year ought to get close to returning to top side of 6 mppa although perhaps this will depend on such things as future volcanic eruptions and the winter programmes for easyJet and Ryanair. The latter has been making noises about cutting back at most UK airports this winter but until the final winter programme is published we shan't know.

I've given up taking any notice of Ryanair's first published timetables for winter or summer because by the time the final version arrives, often over a period of two or three months, routes, frequencies and even operating days come and go and are altered with bewildering frequency.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Nevertheless, 2010 is progressing very steadily and the calendar year ought to get close to returning to top side of 6 mppa although perhaps this will depend on such things as future volcanic eruptions and the winter programmes for easyJet and Ryanair.

I heard an airport spokesman interviewed on the local BBC radio station this morning re the airport's improving passenger figures this year and he said they expected to be 10% up on 2009 at the end of this year.

If that does happen the 6 mppa barrier will be comfortably breached again as it was in 2008 when more than 6.2 million passengers were handled.

 

[alphagolf]

CAA Stats for June 2010

Total Pax: 590,794 up 8.7% on June 2009

Rolling 12 months: 5,724,236 up 0.4%

I would expect to see July 2010 pass the 600,000 mark with ease, and August beyond 650,000. Only time will tell!

Good that not only are the monthly figures positive, but also that the rolling 12 months are also in positive territory! Long may it continue! :yahoo:

 

[Aviador]

How many major UK airports are in positive territory? Bristol must be one of only few airports to be gaining over the rolling twelve months.

 

[alphagolf]

Of all the major UK airports only Bristol & Liverpool (1.2%) are in positive 12 month territory!

Oh missed Belfast City, up 9.4% rolling 12 months. Saying that Belfast City is not in the top 15 list for UK airports.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I would expect to see July 2010 pass the 600,000 mark with ease, and August beyond 650,000. Only time will tell!

July 2009 saw 630,000 passengers and August 2009 672,000. A similar overall percentage rise in the next two months would certainly see your estimates reached and probably exceeded.

The best year was 2008 when 652,000 were handled in July and 705,000 in August, the only month ever to exceed 700,000 - so far! :drinks: It may be that July 2010 will beat July 2008 - now that would be a landmark.

The good thing is that June's 8.7% increase in passenger numbers was achieved with a 7.6% increase in atms which means the rise in passenger numbers was not because there were lots of extra flights.

When I get a minute I intend to check the number of weekly seats available at peak season next month in 2010 compared with 2009 and 2008 through a selection of old Mayflys that I have.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I had a look at Mayfly for next week and a total of 181,000 seats is shown as available - that's the combined total for inbound and outbound.

This compares with nearly 185,000 at a similar time in 2009 and with over 192,000 in 2008.

I was surprised that this year appears to be down on last. Mayfly is never completely accurate, or rarely so anyway because some rotations are missed off and some inadvertently left on, but usually not to the degree that these seat numbers are likely to be wildly inaccurate.

I mentioned on the Viking site that this airline is holding up well in terms of rotations with, so far as I can detect, only the Dalaman no longer running (no doubt due to the collapse of Goldtrail), but two Onur flights to Dalaman are shown as operating (Tuesday with a 320 and Saturday with a 321). The Onur and Turkuaz flights to Turkey on Mondays seem to have been axed - again no doubt because of Goldtrail.

I think I will rein in a bit my forecast figures for July and August but I'm still hoping for an impressive showing having regard to the economic climate.

Still plenty of availability to Turkey because, before the collapse of Goldtrail, I counted a total of 22 weekly flights to that country with charter airlines and easyJet.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The Facts and Figures section on the BRS website has been removed over the past day or two.

It's been there for years. It no longer features in the site index either.

Always useful as it breaks down the passenger figures more than the CAA stats.

Strange!?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

July 2010

CAA stats show 644,258 passengers were handled in the month, up 2.3% on July 2010. Atms were up 0.9%.

Rolling 12-month figure is 5,738,540, up 1 % on a year ago.

A couple of things to mention:

BRS lost at least 40 easyJet rotations during the month because of industrial action by atcos abroad and crewing problems, so probably another 5,000 passengers could be added to the monthly total which would take it to within about 3,000 of the airport's best ever July figures in 2008.

Furthermore Belfast City figures are not included in the domestic tables - this airport yet to report. If these have not been accounted for in the BRS totals then the month would be spectacular, though I suspect that BRS have included them even though they don't appear in the relevant table.

Addendum

I heard an airport spokesman interviewed on the local BBC radio station this morning re the airport's improving passenger figures this year and he said they expected to be 10% up on 2009 at the end of this year.

If that does happen the 6 mppa barrier will be comfortably breached again as it was in 2008 when more than 6.2 million passengers were handled.

I posted this a month ago.

It seems to me that a 10% increase in passenger figures in 2010 over 2009 is now somewhat optimistic.

The current 2010 figure after seven months of the year is 3,238,472.

Even if each month for the rest of the year showed a 10% increase that would leave a year end figure of approximately 5,975,000 up 6.4% on the 2009 figure. For an overall increase of 10% on the year to be achieved would need monthly increases approaching 20% for each of the remaining five months.

In fact, I believe the likely end of year figure will be closer to 5.8 million giving a rise of around 3 or 4% over 2009, which would still be a praiseworthy achievement given the indifferent economic situation that remains stubbornly with us and the poorer performances of many other UK airports.

Winter may be disappointing with Ryanair and easyJet cutting back possibly more than they did last winter, together with the loss of CO.

Until their final timetables are published we shan't know for certain.