Transport hub Airport chiefs hail new £60m interchange but critics voice environment fears

BRISTOL Airport has officially opened its new £60 million transport hub amid much fanfare, with the obligatory ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring oversized scissors.

- Angus MCINTYRE

The stated aim of the new facility is to make it easier for passengers to arrive and depart from the airport on public transport.

An expanded drop-off and pickup area, starting from £7 for a 10-minute wait, will also do no harm to the airport's coffers.

The public transport interchange is just one of a series of upgrades the airport is hoping to complete in the next few years.

The biggest, and most contentious, change is the airport's plan to increase its annual passenger limit from a current cap of 12m a year to 15m a year, with a longer runway and flights to the Middle East and America.

Bristol Airport was only granted permission to expand to 12m passengers a year in 2023, after a protracted legal fight which went all the way to the High Court. The plan faced bitter opposition from everyone from climate change activists to local residents concerned about the impact of a higher volume of flights - and the associated noise - on their quality of life.