Response from key stakeholders in the region after the announcement to give Bristol Airport the go-ahead to expand
John Mayer, Somerset Area Lead for the Federation of Small Businesses, said,
“At a time when being open for business has never been more important, supporting the sustainable growth of our regional gateway sends a strong signal that our region will continue to welcome trade, tourism, and investment from overseas to the benefit of SME owners.
We strongly support Bristol Airport’s commitment to net zero operations by 2030, which will open up new opportunities for innovative businesses to grow and support the transition to a decarbonised economy.”
Kathryn Davis, Director of Tourism for Visit West, said,
“Bristol Airport is the West of England’s international gateway, allowing visitors from overseas direct access to the one of the UK’s most beautiful regions and its diverse visitor experiences that make the region so popular.
“The visitor economy is of huge importance to our region, worth more than £2.33 billion, supporting around 45,000 jobs and welcoming more than 1m visiting from overseas before the pandemic hit. As travel opens back up again, international visitors will play a critical role in the West of England’s economic recovery”
James Durie, Executive Director of Business West, said,
“The business community welcomes the go-ahead for Bristol Airport’s expanded capacity. The long term success of our region’s key global gateway is essential for making Bristol and the West of the UK a place of choice for people to visit, live, learn, and invest.
We have strongly supported and encouraged Bristol Airport's accelerated transition to Net Zero operations and cleaner aviation. We now look forward to working with airport to ensure the economic and wider benefits from its long term sustainable growth are felt by those most in need in our region.”
Ben Rhodes, CBI South West Regional Director, said,
“Bristol Airport’s expanded capacity will create opportunities for the South West’s world class businesses, with the potential for new routes giving our region more direct connections and opening up new markets.
We hope to see Bristol Airport generating thousands of new jobs in the coming years, helping to level-up the South West and drive forward our region’s economic recovery.”
