Bristol Airport (BRS)
History, Facts and Overview

(Bristol, Somerset, England, UK)

A particularly historic airport, Bristol International Airport dates back to 1927, when it started life as the Filton Aerodrome. Two years later the flying club was relocated to farmland in the suburb of Whitchurch and in 1930 was officially opened as Bristol Airport, when it was just one of three current airports in the whole of the UK. Bristol Airport remained operational throughout the Second World War and this was a busy time.

By the mid-1950s, due to lack of space and much-needed growth plans, it was necessary to move the airport once more and new facilities were developed at the nearby Lulsgate Bottom Airfield, within Bristol's Redhill suburb. At this stage the airport was known as the Bristol Lulsgate Airport. In the late 1960s, the airport's runway had been extended and a new terminal building built, and in the 1980s, commercial charter flights became popular in a big way.


From 1997, the airport was officially named Bristol International Airport (BRS) and is today managed by both the Spanish Cintra organisation and the Australian Macquarie Bank. Bristol Airport currently sports a single terminal with a wide range of facilities, including a bureau de change, cash machines, postal services, two business lounges and several duty-free shops beyond security.

There are also a range of shops and restaurants throughout the terminal building, such as the Food Village and the 24-hour Ritazza Coffee Bar, while children visiting Bristol Airport will enjoy the games zone. The British Airways and Servisair executive lounges feature fundamental business services and the onsite Media Centre offers a conference room.