Bristol Airport’s latest expansion plans supported by hundreds of people, YouGov poll finds

The recent survey questioned residents across the region

Hundreds of people in the West of England support the expansion of Bristol Airport, according to a new YouGov poll. The survey, which questioned more than 1,120 adults, found 44 per cent were in favour of the transport hub’s growth, while 32 per cent were neutral and 24 per cent opposed the plans.

It comes just a month after Bristol Airport once again tabled proposals to expand, promising new destinations and 1,000 on-site jobs, despite concerns from environmental campaigners.

In 2023, the High Court granted the airport permission to increase capacity to 12 million passengers a year after North Somerset Council rejected its proposals in 2020. Now Bristol is looking to grow again – to accommodate 15 million passengers.

The airport has pledged to invest around £500m in improvements to the site and local infrastructure.

Under the plans, the runway would be expanded to allow flights to more cities in Europe and long-haul routes to places such as the US and Middle East.

There would also be a larger terminal, with more shops and restaurants, and the ability to walk onto aircraft without getting on a bus. The proposals include more car parking spaces and public transport improvements, too.

Dave Lees, chief executive of Bristol Airport, said: “It’s great to see such strong support for our plans from across our region. This polling shows that people want to travel from their local airport and value connections – whether they’re travelling for business, leisure, or reuniting with loved ones abroad.

“Our proposals would directly connect our region with new destinations and boost the economy.”

The YouGov poll also found that 60 per cent of those questioned had travelled via the airport in the past two years, while 73 per cent said they were considering using Bristol Airport in the next two years.

Of those who had used or plan to use Bristol Airport, 43 per cent said they were more likely to consider using public transport to access the airport.

Currently 10.8 million people use Bristol Airport every year.

“Fewer local people and business travellers would need to rely on travelling to London airports and could instead explore places further afield from their local airport, while also enabling businesses to reach new markets and the tourism sector to benefit from more international visitors exploring our region,” Bristol Airport said in a statement.

However, local residents and environmental campaigners have raised concerns about the impact of extra carbon emissions from an expanded airport. They also claim increasing capacity could lead to more congestion on local roads around the transport hub and create more noise.