Bristol Airport west terminal expansion plan gets go-ahead

Bristol Airport said it aimed to make air travel "less stressful"

Plans to speed up the passenger security scanning process at Bristol Airport have been given the go-ahead.

The £24m plan will see a 9,000-sq-m extension to the west terminal building and is expected to be operational by next summer.

It is some two-and-a-half times larger than the £8.5m east terminal extension set to be completed next month.

An airport spokesman said the change is driven by the increase in hand baggage carried by passengers.

'Clear advantage'

The work, which is the biggest construction project at the airport since the current terminal building opened in 2000, is expected to start "within weeks".

It will also create space for future improvements to immigration facilities, enabling another bottleneck at busy times to be addressed.

Chief Executive Robert Sinclair said the work would ease the congestion experienced at busy times and relieve some of the stress of air travel.

"This is going to give us a clear advantage over the competition by making it more attractive for airlines to fly from Bristol," he said.

"It's a significant step towards achieving our vision to provide passengers from the South West and Wales with a world-class customer experience... [from] their local airport."