Airport expansion bid 'to boost value before sale'

A public consultation on plans to increase an airport's annual passenger capacity to 15 million is just a "tick box exercise", a campaign group claims.

Bristol Airport was granted permission to increase its capacity to 12 million passengers in 2023.

According to Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN), the increased capacity is an attempt to boost its value ahead of a planned sale by owners Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.

The airport says it is simply following government guidance by setting out infrastructure development plans for 2040.

The airport's consultation on its plans was opened in November last year and runs until the end of January.

Stephen Clarke, one of BAAN's coordinators, told the BBC: "We have said from the start that the consultation around the plan is a tick-box exercise.

"But it is even more of a tick-box exercise because by the time it's all finished, [the pension plan] are not going to own the airport."

The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan owns five airports in Europe but according to reports first published by the Sunday Times in November, it is seeking to divest them all in a deal worth £10bn.

It declined to comment when approached by the BBC.

"It is really just about money. It is simply about increasing the value of their asset. They've got no concern about residents or about local opinion," Mr Clarke said.

However, a Bristol Airport spokesperson said: "The UK Government recommends all airports publish master plans in order to guide future infrastructure development.

"Our proposals set out what is required to meet the strong future demand for air travel in our region to 2040.

"As well as exciting new destinations, the plans would support around 37,000 jobs - with an additional 1,000 new roles based at the airport- as well as supporting our region's economic growth."

BAAN has challenged previous expansion plans, which were first scrapped in 2018 at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Its main concerns were the climate impact, noise, and the congestion on nearby roads.

Mr Clarke said they would be fighting any future planning application "with everything we've got".

"We are not trying to close Bristol Airport. All we are saying is the Bristol Airport is big enough as it currently is," he said.

BAAN has since launched its own 10-point plan to improve the airport.

Among its demands are that the annual passenger numbers be capped at 12 million, with no further expansion until net-zero flights become a realistic prospect.

The group also says it wants a reduction in night flights and a plan to cut illegal parking in villages close to the airport.

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