BRISTOL AIRPORT GUIDE (BRS)

QUICK FACTS Name: Bristol International Airport IATA Code: BRS ICAO Code: EGGD Opened: 1927 Terminals: 1 Runways: 1 Destinations served: 85 Passengers: 5.6m (2009)

HISTORY

Recognizing the need for expanded methods of travel, a group of businessmen pooled money together and opened the Bristol Airport in 1930.  The group of local businessmen eyed a farm located in Whitchurch near Bristol to develop into what they envisioned their airport would be.
 
At the time of it’s opening, Bristol Airport was only the third commercial airport open in all of the U.K.  Prince George, son of King George V was the honorary guest to open the airport which grew from 935 to 4000 passengers in a little less than a decade.
 
As was typical of most airports in the U.K., when World War II broke out, it was requisitioned by the military for its operations.  The airport continued to be used for military purposes after the war but the introduction of new and heavier equipment yielded the military for a runway extension. However, housing estates nearby made this impossible to pursue, so the officials decided to move the airport to a new and bigger site at the Lulsgate Bottom Airfield in 1955.

By the 1980s, the now named Bristol Lulsgate Airport had 17 charter airlines using the runway. International departure lounges, duty free shops, restaurants and the Bristol Airport Parking were developed in time as well. In 1987, the operation and net assets of the Bristol Lulsgate Airport were transferred from the Bristol City Council to the Bristol Airport Public limited company which became the move that made business boom with over 100,000 passengers going in and out of the airport each month.
 
In 1997, the airport name was changed into Bristol International Airport and was eventually sold to FirstGroup Plc. With the continuous high rates of passengers, a new terminal was built and opened in March 2000 to keep up with the demand.
 
With the airport and Bristol Airport parking gaining a new logo and being re-branded as Bristol Airport in March 2010, it now services 4.5 million passengers a year through its one runway and terminal to 90 different non-stop locations. Bristol Airport Parking was a welcome addition to this highly traveled airport, and makes one's experience much easier.
 
As the airport aims for continuous improvement, a project was finalized in May 2010 to build a walkway connecting the terminal building to eight new pre-boarding zones. Outgoing travelers usually make use of the Bristol Airport parking for their convenience as it is highly accessible to the airport terminals.