Annual passenger numbers at Bristol Airport soared past the 10m mark for the first time last year as its airlines continued to introduce new destinations.
The record figure was reached as the airport continued with its £400m, five-year upgrade – including a new £60m public transport interchange, pictured below, currently under construction – which will lift capacity from 10m passengers a year to 12m.
It also follows the announcement in November by airport bosses of a new masterplan to increase this to 15m while adding direct flights to the East Coast of America and the Middle East.
Last year’s 7% increase in passenger numbers on 2023’s figure of 9.8m also confirmed its place as one of the fastest-growing airports in the UK since the pandemic.
The airport, which currently offers flights to 115 short-haul destinations following a big increase over recent years, says by adding more routes it can reduce the 10m journeys a year currently made to London airports by passengers from the South West and South Wales.
Last December low-cost airline easyJet announced it is to add a 19th aircraft to its Bristol-based fleet next June, allowing it to further develop its network of 83 destinations in 19 countries from the airport. 
It total, Bristol Airport offers direct flights to117 destinations in 34 countries.
The airport, owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, first hit the milestone of 10m passengers passing through its terminal in a 12-month period early last year.
Following record-breaking summer and pre-Christmas getaway periods, the 10m figures has now been beaten for the first time in a calendar year.
Airport bosses said an increase in trips to European cities for weekend breaks, along with more business travel – in particular an “exceptional demand” for its links to Amsterdam and Paris – added to strong numbers for traditional holiday flights.
At the same time, inbound tourist figures from Europe had been buoyant. 
Bristol Airport chief executive officer Dave Lees, pictured, said: “It’s great to see so many more passengers from the South West and South Wales choosing to use Bristol Airport, with much interest in the new destinations we have on offer.
“Our masterplan sets out how we would meet the strong and growing demand of people in the region using the airport and the improvements we intend to make to further enhance the customer experience.
“The future development proposals are forecast to support more than 37,000 jobs in the South West and South Wales – including an additional 1,000 jobs at the airport.”
Bristol has not had direct scheduled flights to the US since Continental Airlines ended its New York service in 2010 after operating it for five years.
The airport also said the A1 Flyer bus service linking it to Bristol city centre carried more than 1m passengers for the first time last year, a near-20% increase on the 2023 figure.
