Memorandum submitted by Bristol International Airport (CBPS 128)

1. Bristol International Airport Ltd welcomes the opportunity to provide written evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee inquiry into cross-border public services for Wales.

2. Bristol International Airport (Bristol International) is the major regional airport for the south west of England handling some 6.32 million passengers[1] in the 12 months ending October 2008, making it the ninth largest airport in the United Kingdom. Bristol International serves a catchment area with a population of between seven and eight million people within a two hour drive time[2]. Over 30 scheduled and charter airlines fly regularly to and from the Airport providing flights to 118 destinations across 31 countries, including 74 destinations served by scheduled services.

3. Much of Wales lies within easy reach of Bristol International. Preliminary figures from the Civil Aviation Authority 2008 passenger survey indicate that 13% of Bristol International passengers in the first three quarters of 2008 had an origin or destination in Wales, an increase from 10.6% in the 2003/04 passenger survey. On this basis around 820,000 passengers per annum currently originate from Wales, meaning that Bristol International Airport has a significant role to play in providing air transport services for Wales. For comparison the latest CAA statistics show that Cardiff Airport is currently handling just over 2 million passengers per annum.

Road services from Wales to Bristol International Airport

4. Bristol International is well served with road connections from Wales via the M4 and M5. Indeed road journey times from Cardiff, Newport and Chepstow are all one hour or less[3] and people living to the east of Newport are actually closer to Bristol International Airport than Cardiff Airport. However westbound passengers on the M4 benefit from a significant number of signs indicating the route to Cardiff Airport and we feel that consideration should be given to providing similar signage to Bristol International Airport for passengers in the reverse direction.

5. Both Bristol International Airport and Cardiff Airport are located some distance from the motorway network. Bristol International is aware of work undertaken by the Welsh Assembly to investigate how access to Cardiff Airport might be improved. Whilst it would not be appropriate for Bristol International to comment on the detail of proposals emerging we are obviously keen to ensure that a similar emphasis is placed on schemes being developed by the West of England Partnership to improve access to South Bristol and Bristol International Airport.

Rail services from Wales to Bristol International Airport

6. Public transport services between Wales and Bristol International Airport are good and they are popular with Welsh passengers. Feedback from passengers suggests that the services between Wales and Bristol Temple Meads Station (primarily the Cardiff-Bristol-Portsmouth route) are inferior to the services between Wales and Bristol Parkway Station on the Great Western Main Line. Easy access is available between Temple Meads and Bristol International Airport using the Bristol Flyer coach service and we would support measures to improve the quality and reliability of the Cardiff-Portsmouth rail services for the benefit of air passengers.

7. Coach services between South Wales and Bristol are also popular with air passengers. Indeed it is possible that the market might be able to support dedicated express coach services between Wales and Bristol International Airport in the near future. Coach operators have considered the potential for this route in the past and we would support any initiatives to deliver improved coach access between South Wales and Bristol in the future.

Air transport services

8. Route Development Funds have been used to support air services in the recent past between Cardiff and Manchester, Barcelona and Brussels. These services did not prove to be sustainable and our view is that this is not good use of public money, particularly when good services to these destinations are available from Bristol International. Route Development Funds distort the market without any guarantee of success for airline or airport and they have a detrimental effect on services from nearby competing airports. We do not support intervention in the market to support route development.

November 2008

[1] Source: CAA Airport Statistics

[2] Source: Department for Transport Regional Air Services Co-ordination Study, July 2002.

[3] Source: route planner at www.theaa.com