Bristol Airport

Appeal Court rejects application by BAAN to appeal against Bristol Airport expansion decision

In January the High Court ruled that the airport’s major expansion plans could go ahead following a lengthy legal battle, but local group Bristol Airport Action Network appealed against the decision.  Now that appeal has been “refused on all grounds”. by the Court of Appeal.  A ruling found that there was not “real prospect of success” of the challenge and no other compelling reason for to allow it. The airport plans to expand its maximum capacity from 10m to 12m passengers a year, had initially been refused planning permission by North Somerset Council in January 2020. The airport’s owner Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan later appealed to the Government, and the decision was overturned by the Planning Inspectorate in February 2022. BAAN has been fighting ever since, and commented that “The airport can now expand by an extra 2 million passengers a year, build a multi-storey car park on Greenbelt land, massively increase the number of summer night flights and congest the local roads with an extra 10,000 cars a day.” As well as hugely increase its carbon emissions.  BAAN says “the planning system concerning airport expansion has been rigged by the government to ignore the climate crisis.”

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High Court has ruled that expansion of Bristol Airport will be allowed to go ahead

Campaigners against the expansion of Bristol airport legally challenged the decision of the Planning Inspectorate (PI), a year ago.  The High Court has now ruled that the expansion can go ahead.  North Somerset Council rejected the expansion in 2020 on environmental grounds but that decision was later overruled by the PI.  Expansion would see the airport increase its capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers per year. Opponents of the growth, through the Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN), are very disappointed, but are already planning on challenging the ruling.  BAAN has been arguing planning inspectors were wrong to ignore the impact a bigger airport would have on climate change.  In his decision Lord Justice Lane said expanding the airport would impact the environment but that the decision is for central government not local. There is no proper law on UK aviation, or any legal means to control cumulative CO2 emissions from many airport expansion. The Climate Change Committee say there are big risks in the airline industry hoping for low carbon fuels in future, and recommend that “there should be no net expansion of airport capacity”.

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Sections:

– General information about the airport (below) 

– Some news about Bristol Airport

– Local community Group – Bristol Airport Watch  http://www.stopbristolairportexpansion.org/

 

 – Bristol Airport Planning application information

High Court rejects Bristol Airport judicial review

27th October 2011    Campaign group Stop Bristol Airport Expansion have been refused permission for a judicial review against North Somerset Council’s approval of the airport’s plan. Mr Justice Collins, at London’s High Court, said the decision adhered to Government aviation policy (the out of date ATWP 2003) and even if that policy was flawed, legally it should stand. They had argued that climate change was a local, national & international issue, and thus relevant to airport expansion.     Click here to view full story…

Bristol Airport £150m expansion plans given the go-ahead by government

18th September 2010     The government has decided not to intervene in the planning process and not to call in the application for airport expansion. North Somerset Council approved the expansion scheme, subject to 70 conditions, in May. Eric Pickles had the right to a final say on the development, as some of the site is on green belt but it was announced on 17th that he would not exercise his option to call a public inquiry into the plans. Building work could begin next year.  However, Stop Bristol Airport Expansion plans to mount a legal challenge.  Click here to view full story…
 
Bristol Airport – some general information
Airport OwnerIn September 2014, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan bought out Macquarie to become the sole owner.

In 2011 the shareholders were Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – 49%, Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 1 – 50% – part of Macquarie Group, and MAp Airports (formerly Macquarie Airports) – 1%. Was Macquarie Airports Group till 2009.

Airport OperatorSouth West Airports Ltd
Airlines using the airportAer Arann, Air France, Air Malta, Air Southwest, Aurigny, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines, Eastern Airways, *Easyjet, Flybe, KLM,
OLT, *Ryanair, Skybus   (* are the main ones)
Key destinations
All European.  The only long haul flight was to New York (by Continental) which ended on 7.11.2010)

Bristol Airport. Flights and CO2 emissions.

Analysis of flights, routes, and top 10 destinations from Bristol Airport in 2011. Also carbon emissions.
And passenger growth and numbers over the past 15 years. http://www.awsw.co.uk/allco2/BRS_co2.html

Numbers of passengers (thousands) – CAA figures
Terminal passengers    

UK Airport Statistics: 2012 – annual  (Table 10.3)  Terminal Passengers  2002 – 2012

1996 – 1,393
2000 – 2,124
2005 – 5,199
2006 – 5,710
2007 – 5,884
2008 – 6,229   (up + 6% on 2007)
2009 – 5,615,336 (down – 9.8% on 2008)
2010 – 5,723,000  (up + 2% on 2009)  link to 2010 data
2011 – 5,768  (no changed from 2010)
2012 – 5,916,258  (up + 2.6% on 2011)
Air Transport Movements Passenger and cargo aircraft   – CAA figures

Air Transport Movements

UK Airport Statistics: 2012 – annual  (Table 4.2) ATMs 2002 – 2012
    (annual figures, table 4.2)

2005 – 61,311

2006 – 65,825
2007 – 59,000 approx
2008 – 60,000 (up 2% on 2007)
2009 – 53,824 (down -10.4%  on 2008)
2010 – 54,000 (same as 2009)   link to 2010 data
2011 – 53,000 (down -2% on 2010)
2012 – 50,654 (down – 3.8% on 2011)
Air Freight tonnage – CAA figures

Freight

UK Airport Statistics: 2012 – annual  (Table 13.2) Freight 2002 – 2012

1996 – 121
2000 – 77
2005 – 16
2006 – 32
2007 – 20
2008 – 3  (down – 85% on 2007)
2009   – none
2010   –   “
2011   –   “
2012   – none
Airport Master  Plan
November 2006
Future plansOfficially 9 million passengers per year, by 2015 and 12.5m by 2030, but the airport says in fact “9m will probably be hit by 2009.” [In reality there were 5.6 million in 2009].
Consultative Committee
Local Residents’ or airport opposition groupStop Bristol Airport Expansion (SBAE) at www.stopbia.com – (alliance of CPRE, FOE and the local Parish Councils Airport Association)   email@stopbia.com
Recent news
Master Plan noted with severe reservations by North Somerset –
currently expecting polanning applications by Spring 2008 – but may be
trying to sneak it on “organic growth”.
Airport contact details
Bristol International Airport
Bristol
BS48 3DY
Tel:  0871 334 4444
Noise complaints
You can register a noise complaint by telephoning
Tel: 01275 473 799
and see the Stop BIA website with more information on noise complaints:    http://www.nobristolairportexpansion.co.uk/noise.php
Airport website environment page
Proportion of domestic passengers, out of total passengers
CAA statistics, annual figures  – comparing Tables 9 and 10.2

2006    24.5%
2007    21.5%
2008    18.7%

Business Aviation

Number of business flights (= private jets)
CAA statistics, annual figures – Table 3.1

2007      2  ( + 57 air taxis)
2008      1  (+ 133 air taxis)
Wikipedia page on Bristol Airport
 
DfT forecasts:
The DfT does forecasts of future numbers for UK airports.  The November 2007 forecast is at UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts
The numbers for Bristol -millions of passengers – are (page 108):
Low and Central forecast:
2005  –  5
2015  –  8
2030  –  12
High forecast:
 2005  – 5
 2015  – 9
 2030  – 12
But by the  August 2011 forecasts, the figures were:
2010       6
2010       6
2030       9
2040     12
2050     12
(This the constrained demand central forecast)
Local Authority: Bristol City Council