Airport's new £60m transport hub officially opens

The new facility was officially opened by airport CEO Dave Lees (left), MP Sadik Al-Hassan (centre) and council leader Mike Bell (right)

A new £60m transport interchange has been officially opened at Bristol Airport.

The facility, one of the largest of its kind in the region, can hold an extra 2,000 parking spaces, as well as significantly expanding the number of bus and coach spaces.

It will also home the airport's new "drop and go" zone and offer better pedestrian links to the terminal.

Dave Lees, chief executive of the Airport, said the new development was "really important as it represents a milestone in terms of improving the facilities for our customers".

Mr Lees said the new development was indicative of the airport's "ambition"

"Gone are the days of passengers having to walk up slopes here," he added, explaining that the number of bays for coaches and buses had been doubled, as well as the addition of new covered access routes, covered seating and toilet facilities.

This signifies the airport's "level of ambition" as it "looks to the future", he added.

The project has taken more than two years to complete, and is part of a wider £400m "airport transformation programme" to improve transport links.

Currently only about 15% of airport customers arrive at the site by bus.

Mike Bell urged people travelling to the airport to choose public transport options

North Somerset Council leader Mile Bell said the new facility was a "fantastic new piece of infrastructure" for customers but stressed that there was still work to be done.

"I think we all recognise that we've still got more to do to make the access routes easier and introduce mass transit, particularly from Bristol city centre so people can get here easier, faster and cheaper using public transport," he said.

Meanwhile, he added, passengers should "give public transport a try" and avoid antisocial parking in local communities around the airport.

His comments were echoed by North Somerset MP Sadik Al-Hassan, who also called for a mass transit to the airport and urged any further expansion of the airport to be "balanced with the views of the community".

Telling the BBC there were "swings and roundabouts" with any airport expansion, he said: "This is allowing more people to come here by sustainable means, so I'm hoping it will help. but it's part of what needs to be a larger plan to look at how the airport sits within the wider economic area."