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www.bristolairport.co.uk Issue 9 > Winter 2014/2015

Records set as passenger numbers rise

Passenger numbers hit an all time high earlier this year, with 25,390 people passing through the Terminal in 24 hours on See inside Thursday 14 August – not for Your Jobs far short of the annual pull-out guide to careers at throughput of the Airport Extension to terminal Airport when it opened on the shows eastern promise current site back in 1957! The record day contributed to Following the completion of a new central walkway, as reported in the a bumper summer, with nearly previous issue of Your Airport, work has begun on an eastern terminal three quarters of a million journeys made in August alone. extension – the first major expansion of the building since it opened in 2000. September’s traffic was swelled The £6.5m central walkway had only been open a matter of days when construction of the eastern by additional VIP arrivals for the terminal extension kicked off, with this latest development scheduled for completion by summer 2015. NATO Summit in South Wales (see page four), bringing the rolling 12 The eastern terminal extension comes with a price tag of £8.6m and is expected to attract exciting month total close to 6.3 million. new retail brands to and create more space for existing retailers. But it’s not all about shopping – the facility will see the installation of hundreds of additional seats in the departure lounge, A number of factors contributed as well as a second executive lounge facility to complement the popular Aspire Lounge. to the record passenger numbers, including the introduction Behind the scenes the extension will deliver an improved processing area, while the standout of larger aircraft by several feature is an outdoor terrace for passengers waiting to board their flights. Once finished, it is expected airlines and high load factors on to set a new benchmark for passenger facilities at Bristol Airport. charter and scheduled flights. The summer also saw new services such as a twice-weekly Teachers’ takes control link to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Teachers’) ownership interests in High Speed 1, Stockholm and a new Tunisia became the sole owner of Bristol Airport in Airport and Scotia Gas Networks. flight from specialist tour operator, September following the purchase of the 50 Teachers’ also has a shareholding in Just Sunshine. per cent stake previously held by Macquarie Airport and . The positive trend is forecast European Infrastructure Fund (MEIF). As a shareholder in Bristol Airport for over to continue into 2015 as an Teachers’ is the largest single profession a decade, Teachers’ is committed to Bristol enhanced route and new pension plan in Canada, and is a long-term Airport’s business strategy, and the transfer and improved facilities persuade investor in infrastructure assets around the of ownership does not impact day-to-day more passengers in the South world. UK investments include significant operations or ongoing development. West and South Wales to fly from Bristol.

1 Sustainability

New facilities for nocturnal commuters New team Bristol Airport has welcomed a wide variety of winged wonders over the member focused years, from the Red Arrows to the distinctive Airbus ‘Beluga’, but even the most enthusiastic plane spotter may not have spied some of the more on environmental unusual nocturnal fliers which frequent the surrounding area. That’s performance because the night-time movements in question are being made by several species of bat which use the hedgerows and woodland areas to Melanie King has joined the north and south of the Airport as commuting and foraging routes. Bristol Airport as Environment Manager. The appointment Species spotted include Leisler’s, Greater comes ahead of the Horseshoe and Lesser Horseshoe. And to imminent retirement of two make them feel at home, ‘bat hotels’ have been created, providing the ideal conditions long-standing members for them to hang around! In addition, the of the management team remains of structures dating back to World with responsibility for War Two – including an old air raid shelter environmental issues, and POW latrine block – have been adapted to provide the perfect roost, with doors and including noise management windows covered over to reduce light and (see page seven). keep them warm and dry. Qualified to MSc level in Environmental Bat activity will continue to be monitored in Quality Management, Melanie brings years to come, with the aim of maintaining direct knowledge of the aviation sector the population by making the Airport’s as a result of two years spent working darker areas even more inviting to these in a similar role at Birmingham Airport. flying visitors. She also has five years’ experience in environmental protection with local Clockwise from the top: the adapted air raid shelter; a greater horseshoe bat; a bat hotel. authorities in the . Melanie’s focus will be on minimizing the Airport’s impacts and improving Report showcases Sustainable Airports environmental performance across a range of specialist areas, including Earlier this year the Airport Operators Association – of air quality, biodiversity and noise. which Bristol Airport is a member – published a report Communicating her work with local showing how airports are growing while reducing carbon stakeholders will also be central to emissions and managing noise. her role, so look out for Melanie in forums such as the Airport Consultative Sustainable Airports: Improving the environmental Committee and in the pages of future impact of the UK’s global gateways responds to calls for issues of Your Airport. the sector to demonstrate that growth can be delivered sustainably. It includes data on carbon emissions which shows a 3 per cent reduction in the carbon footprint of

the UK’s 18 largest airports in the last two years – despite passenger numbers increasing by more than 5 per cent and air traffic by almost 2 per cent during the same period.

At a launch event at the House of Commons the report was welcomed by politicians from across the political spectrum. The Aviation Minister, Robert Goodwill MP, said UK airports could be proud of the efforts they had made to improve their sustainability, while Labour Shadow Minister, Gordon Marsden MP, said the report would assist with evidence-driven policy making. Stephen Gilbert MP, the Liberal Democrat Chair of the Regional Aviation All Party Parliamentary Group, said the report was a useful reminder that the ‘enemy’ was not airports or airlines, but carbon and noise.

2 Passenger experience

Random acts strike the right note

For several years National Customer Service Week has served as a platform for initiatives to further enhance the passenger experience at Bristol Airport, but this October the team took a particularly creative approach. Airport staff were empowered to deliver ‘random acts of kindness’ to customers, ranging from free car washes in the Silver Zone car park to goody bags for children. The ‘random acts’ were well received by passengers, who were delighted to receive an extra special start to their holiday or business trip! Pictured, from left to right, are Georgina Williams and In addition, prizes were awarded to business partners across the Airport site for their own Alison Rix from security provider, ICTS, receiving gift Customer Service Week initiatives. vouchers for outstanding customer service.

Swissport team Ellis seals the deal scoops airline award Have you ever forgotten to wind up your window before leaving your vehicle in the Airport car park? The result – while you are working on your tan for two weeks somewhere exotic, your car’s interior is exposed to the elements and at the mercy of the unpredictable South West weather!

With up to 14,000 vehicles on site at any time, Bristol Airport’s Ground Transport (GT) Rachel Seward of easyJet (left) presents Mark Dallimore, Gareth Smart, Ali Govier and Kirsty team are very familiar with the problem. Until recently, they would tape up any open Duddridge of Swissport with the award. windows spotted, but this was time-consuming for staff and, although effective, it did not give a very professional impression to the customer. The Swissport team at Bristol Airport walked off with the top prize for customer That is why Ellis Mead, a Car Park Kiosk Attendant at the Airport, decided to research the satisfaction at easyJet’s annual customer alternatives and, in the process, came across Packexe® Glass and Glazing Film, a product service awards earlier this year. Swissport originally designed to protect the windows of houses during renovation. It seals gaps provides ground handling services for the more effectively than tape, without leaving any residue or damage after removal. airline at Bristol, and the award was based on feedback received from customers on After a brief trial, the Packexe® product, which is manufactured in Exeter, has been their experience of check-in, boarding and adopted by the GT team and is now used to ensure customers come back to a dry baggage arrival times. interior if they do leave their windows open. WorldHost helps provide warm welcome Major transport schemes on the move

After becoming the first airport in Britain Planning permissions are now in place for the MetroBus network following approval of the to gain WorldHost Recognised Business North Fringe to Hengrove Package by Bristol City and South Gloucestershire councils at the status, Bristol Airport has reconfirmed its end of August and beginning of September. commitment to providing a world-class The MetroBus network will link key areas of the West of through a modern public welcome to passengers. Airport staff across transport network that is faster, more reliable, and more comfortable than existing bus areas such as security, passenger assistance services. It will also enhance access to Bristol Airport, providing an improved experience for and check in will be taking part in the passengers and making airport jobs more accessible. customer service programme that has been used to train nearly one million people worldwide, including tens of thousands of staff and volunteers at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The programme has been endorsed by Visit England and covers customer service skills and awareness of different cultures with the aim of ensuring visitors to the UK receive a warm and friendly welcome.

3 Serving our region

World leaders fly in for NATO Summit Bristol Airport played a key role in the transport plan supporting September’s NATO Summit at Celtic Manor in Wales, working closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to coordinate the arrival and departure of 35 delegations from 27 countries – including 17 heads of state.

High profile figures flying in en route to With many of the Newport included the President of Ukraine, arriving delegations Petro Poroshenko (pictured arriving), and staying in hotels the outgoing President of the European in Bristol, the Commission, José Manuel Barroso. In city’s destination total, Bristol Airport hosted 155 presidents, management prime ministers, government ministers and organisation, ambassadors and even a crown prince! Destination Bristol, was on hand VIPs from as far afield as South Korea, throughout to provide information and Kazakhstan and Japan arrived on a mix of assistance. Images of the region were also Airport team pitches scheduled and charter flights. displayed prominently, making the most of for new routes the opportunity to promote the West A large scale police operation supported of England. the Airport’s own security team in Bristol Airport attended the ensuring world leaders were safe and annual World Routes event once secure when arriving and departing the UK, delivering a seamless process which again in September, but this time maximized the time VIP delegates were the team flew out ahead of the able to spend at the Summit. Staff from formal conference programme for the FCO joined members of the Airport a memorable networking event team to coordinate official welcomes for delegations as they disembarked at one of the host city Chicago’s their aircraft, with VIPs routed through a most iconic venues. separate facility to minimise disruption to other passengers during what was already The World Route Development Forum is the one of the busiest weeks of the year. world’s largest commercial aviation event, giving airports and tourism organisations the chance to meet with airlines to discuss new route opportunities. Destination Bristol Fab four from and Bath Tourism Plus joined forces with the Airport to promote the West of England, easyJet attending face-to-face meetings as well as representing both cities on the VisitEngland easyJet recently added four new routes stand in the international exhibition hall. to its network from Bristol, with services Before the busy three day event commenced, to , Catania (Sicily), Porto and Bristol Airport hosted airline representatives Lanzarote set to operate from summer at historic Wrigley Field, home of the 2015. Chicago Cubs baseball team. Guests The year-round Gibraltar service will be the watched the Cubs beat the LA Dodgers 9-8 shortest direct air link between the Rock and after an exciting comeback, and there was any UK airport, flying up to three times a also time for Airport CEO, Robert Sinclair week. The Porto flight will operate a similar (pictured), to get some coaching tips from frequency 12 months a year, providing a former Cub, Dave Otto! direct link to another of Bristol’s twin Meetings at the previous year’s event in cities (alongside easyJet’s existing service Las Vegas were instrumental in securing to Bordeaux). a summer service from Stockholm with In total, easyJet now flies to 50 destinations Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), and it is hoped from Bristol, making it the airline’s biggest this year’s event will also bear fruit in the UK operation outside London. shape of new airlines and routes in future.

4 Fast growing airline Flying start for Bath’s adds capacity Tour of Britain stage Fast growing airline, bmi regional, is increasing capacity on its Bristol services from summer 2015. An additional 40,000 seats will be available across services to Franfkurt, Aberdeen and Munich as a result of the move to triple daily flights and additional weekend services. From 29 March 2015, bmi regional’s Bristol to Frankfurt service will operate three times a day, with further frequencies added to Aberdeen following the introduction of a third daily flight on Wednesdays and Thursdays earlier this year. New weekend capacity to Frankfurt and Munich has also been added, with extra flights on Saturday morning. Flights to both German destinations are codeshares with , enabling passengers to conveniently connect to Lufthansa’s worldwide network.

Bristol Airport teamed up with key airline partner, KLM, to sponsor Ends the Bath stage start of the Tour of Britain in September. The World Heritage City welcomed thousands of spectators to witness some of the world’s leading professional cyclists start the sixth stage of the high profile race.

With four flights a day from its hub to Bristol Airport, KLM plays a key role in bringing international visitors to Bath, making the Tour of Britain sponsorship the perfect fit. Made up of riders from all over the world, the peloton mirrored the international mix of visitors to Bath, with the overall race fittingly won by Dutch rider, Dylan van Baarle.

Vegas showcase for city’s conference venues

Bristol Airport joined forces with Destination Bristol and the national tourist board, VisitEngland, to promote the West of England to travel buyers from across in October. IMEX is North America’s largest event for incentive travel, meetings and events, attracting a total of 10,000 participants. With a direct US service still very much part of the Airport’s ambitions, it proved an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of the region amongst influential travel professionals from across the continent. Sales & Marketing Co-ordinator, Laura Mitchell, flew to Las Vegas to help host the Visit England stand, and was on hand to provide travel advice to those considering holding events in Bristol. Convenient transatlantic connections – including a new service to Washington DC – can be accessed with via Dublin, where US customs and immigration can be pre-cleared, enabling them to bypass queues on arrival in the States. 5 Our community

New criteria for noise insulation Family Fun Day a soaraway success grants Earlier this year over 1,000 people attended the inaugural Bristol The Airport Environmental Airport Family Fun Day, raising Improvement Fund established nearly £6,000 for Macmillan to support projects benefiting Cancer Support in the process. the local community and the The airfield was bathed in late environment has established fresh September sunshine as friends guidelines for applications for and family of staff from around noise insulation. 50 different organisations The Fund’s Committee has agreed that operating on the site enjoyed applications from local residents most entertainment ranging from affected by noise who have not previously police dog displays to the arrival had a grant from the Airport will be prioritised. Based on the annually produced of a Lynx helicopter. predictive maps of noise levels measured in decibels (dB) which will be published in Held on the south side of the , the Family Fun Day provided a showcase for the January 2015, residents living within the newly opened Bristol & Wessex Aeroplane Club facilities, as well as offering the chance 63dB and 60dB contours will be eligible to see the Bristol Flying Centre and WPD helicopter operations up close. to apply. A limited number of tickets were made available to neighbouring parish councils, First priority will be given to households but such was the event’s success that a repeat is scheduled 2015 with a wider ticket within the 63dB contour which have distribution to local residents planned. not previously received a grant for noise insulation, followed by those within the same contour who have received funding from the Airport in the past. Grants to properties in the 60dB contour will then be considered, with priority again given to those which have not been insulated under historic schemes. As well as providing new double glazing, the grants can also be used for loft insulation. To find out more about eligibility, keep an eye out for publication of the latest noise contours in early 2015, when further information on the application process will be available.

All the fun of the fair

Bristol Airport’s administration building played host to an aviation fair in September, attracting over 400 visitors to what until 2000 was a busy passenger terminal. Held in the Bristol Room – previously the old terminal’s Trekkers restaurant – the event was organised by local aircraft enthusiast, Simon Fewkes.

A wide range of postcards, models, books (pictured) and DVDs were on sale, and a local aircraft model club attended with a display of hand-made model aircraft. With a nominal fee charged for entry, the event raised several hundred pounds for the Airport’s charity of the year, Macmillan Cancer Support.

6 Airport people

Bravo Mike Lima! Community relations manager, Mike Littleton – affectionately known as ‘Mike Lima’ from his days in , where the NATO phonetic alphabet was like a second language – has retired after 44 years with Bristol Airport.

Mike joined the Airport back in 1970 as a 22 year old teleprinter operator in the control tower. At the time around 100 people were employed on the site, compared to around 3,000 today. Following the boom in flights to Spain in the Sixties, the next decade was one of setbacks for many regional airports, including the collapse of charter airline, Court Line. But the Eighties saw Bristol Airport back on a growth path under the stewardship of Managing Director, Les Wilson. Les recognised Mike’s customer relations skills and a stint in the important Terminal Duty Manager role followed, during which time operations switched to a newly constructed terminal in 2000. Mike then took on another new challenge when he was appointed as the Airport’s first Community Relations Manager, a role which he filled during the planning process for the current programme of development which will enable up to 10 million passengers per annum to pass through the Terminal. With permission granted in February 2011, Mike then set about delivering ‘Tracker’, an online system which enables local residents to plot aircraft flight paths against locations on the ground, providing graphical information to aid investigation of noise and track-keeping enquiries. With his passion for open-top motoring, travel and boutique gins, Mike will have plenty to occupy him in his retirement. But this certainly isn’t the end of his association with Bristol Airport. He plans to write a history of the Airport from its origins as an RAF base to the present day. Everyone in the Bristol Airport community wishes Mike and his wife, Linda, all the best in the next chapter of their own story. Anyone with any interesting stories, anecdotes, photographs or other Bristol Airport memorabilia can contact Mike by email at [email protected].

Rogers, royalty and a ‘wavy wall’ Another familiar face will be leaving Bristol Airport at the end of the year. Planning and Environment Director, Alan Davies, will retire after 17 years. He told Your Airport about some of the highlights, and his plans for the future.

YA: Tell us about your career highlights prior to joining Bristol Airport. AD: There are many, but the things that stick in my mind are the two years I spent in Oman on the edge of the Empty Quarter, and working on the Norman Foster designed Stansted Airport and Richard Rodgers’ Europier at Heathrow. I am also quite proud of the ‘wavy’ noise wall between the North and South Terminals at Gatwick. Buildings can come and go but I expect the wall will be around for a while. YA: And what have been your most memorable experiences? AD: It has to be being presented to HRH The Princess Royal at the opening of the terminal building in March 2000. YA: What achievements are you most proud of from your time at Bristol Airport? AD: 1.6 million passengers used Bristol Airport back in 1997 and we were the 13th largest airport in the UK. We are now ninth with four times the passenger numbers. It has been great to have been part of this transformation. YA: What do you think the future holds for Bristol Airport? AD: New York is on my bucket list so I am hoping a direct service will return in the near future. YA: What do you plan to do next? AD: There is so much to see and do in the South West. The first priority is to spend some time enjoying the local countryside and tourist attractions in a way that I have not been able to while I have been working. Oh, and Mrs Davies wants a new bathroom, kitchen...

7 News round-up

Bristol band tune Golden homecoming Jamie’s Pride joy for Claudia A charity fund-raiser received a surprise up for Bordeaux after flying into Bristol Airport when he was met by ITV presenter Katie Rowlett and performance a camera crew. Jamie McDonald spent a year running across Canada to raise money Popular local musicians, the Ambling for charity, and was told of his nomination Band, took time out from their recent as the West’s Pride of Britain Fundraiser of journey to Bordeaux to entertain the Year by Katie in the arrivals area. The other passengers with an impromptu next stop for Jamie is the national finals in performance in the terminal. London, presented by another Bristol star, The 16-strong group were Carol Vorderman. accompanying the Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson, on a visit to meet his counterpart, Alain Juppé, to re-launch the Bristol-Bordeaux partnership and strengthen the bonds between the two cities. The Ambling Band took part in Bordeaux’s version of Bristol’s ‘Make Sunday Special’, bringing Bristol’s Flights to Glasgow proved popular this spirit and sense of fun to the French summer with sports fans flying north to city with their lively renditions of watch the Commonwealth Games. But it Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ and other wasn’t just spectators who took advantage popular songs. of easyJet’s convenient schedule to get to and from Scotland’s largest city. Teenage Pupils and staff from Fairfield High gymnast Claudia Fragapane was greeted School have also been strengthening with balloons, banners and hugs on her links with Bordeaux in recent months, Fire training facility return home with some very special excess flying out for five days in October to baggage after becoming the first English meet their counterparts at the College sets new standards woman to win four gold medals for 84 years. LaPierre. This followed a visit by French pupils to Goblin Comble Lodge, close to Bristol Airport, earlier in the year. Choir warms up for Both initiatives build on the strong Japan tour links between Bristol and Bordeaux which date back as far as 1947 when The City of Bath Male Choir were in fine the two cities were first twinned. voice when they flew out of Bristol Airport en route to Japan for a 10 day concert tour of the country. The 42-strong choir, seen by millions when they reached the finals of the BBC’s Last Choir Standing series, visited A state-of-the-art new training facility for Kyoto, Itami and Tokyo during their visit. Bristol Airport’s Rescue and Fire-Fighting The choir gave fellow passengers a rendition Service (RFFS) opened in October, enabling of some of their favourite numbers before this essential team to test themselves boarding a KLM flight to Amsterdam, from against a range of fire and rescue scenarios. where they picked up an onward connection Including equipment simulating an aircraft, to Japan. helicopter and building complex, the facility can be controlled and monitored remotely and is fuelled by an eco-friendly LPG gas system. The new facility ensures the RFFS can maintain the high levels of competence and specialist aviation skills required by the Civil Aviation Authority. Situated to the south of the runway, the new training facility represents an investment of just under £1 million.

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