Bristol Airport History
Bristol Airport was initially founded by a group of local businessmen who managed to raise £6,000 to start a flying club at Filton Aerodrome in 1928. The interest in the project was so great that they in fact developed a fully fledged airport on farmland south of the City.
Bristol Airport officially opened in 1930 and was only the third civilian airport in the UK. In 1955 the city acquired Lulsgate airfield from the RAF to develop into a modern airport for Bristol as the original site could not accommodate an extended runway. The new Bristol International Airport was opened in 1957.
Passenger numbers at Bristol Airport continued to grow steadily with a slight hiccup in 1973 when Court Line Airways collapsed. In 1985 a £13 million development programme was completed to accommodate increasing passenger numbers and provide state of the art systems for Bristol Airport's users.
In 1987 another milestone in the history of Bristol Airport was reached when Bristol Council formed Bristol Airport plc. The operation and net assets of Bristol Airport were transferred from the City of Bristol and the Company commenced trading.
In 1998 Bristol Airport's rapid expansion continued with 100,000 scheduled service passengers passing through the airport for the first time.
After a period of sustained growth the recession of the early 1990's caused a major setback resulting in the demise of Airlines, Tour Operators and Travel Agents which had a negative effect on Bristol Airport.
In 1994 Bristol Airport's freight facility was relocated to a site in Avonmouth. The new facility, situated close to the M4/M5 interchange, was suitably located to take advantage of the increasing amount of freight travelling to the South West from Heathrow by road.
1996/97
In 1996 Bristol Airport was put up for sale by Bristol City Council. This was seen to be the only way to raise the funds required to build the new terminal building that Bristol Airport required.
In an effort to change the old, out of date image the airport was beginning to get, the name was changed. March 97 saw the re-launch of Bristol Airport to Bristol International. At the same time 51% of the company was sold to Firstgroup.
On March 3rd 2000 the New Terminal was opened at Bristol International Airport by HRH Princess Royal and flights started leaving the new building on the 7th.
2001
In March 2001 the low cost airline Go, announced that it was to make Bristol International its second UK base. Bristol International was originally in competition against 140 airports across Europe. The arrival of Go remains the single biggest commercial deal in Bristol Airport's history.
In February 2002 Bristol International was officially the fastest growing airport in the UK, with a year on year passenger increase of 44.5%.
Airport Parking FAQ’s
- How do I get from the car park to the terminal at Bristol?
- Are the car parks secure?
- Are the car parks open 24 hours a day?
- What is the benefit of pre-booking airport parking?
- Can I still book parking if I'm travelling tomorrow?
- How do I find the car park when I get to the airport?
- Do I have to leave my car keys with the car park?
- How do I contact Airport Parking Discounts?
- How do I amend or cancel my booking?
