IN Brief:
- The £30m scheme is part of Bristol Airport’s wider £400m investment programme.
- The two-storey infill increases terminal floor space by almost 45%.
- A modular Bailey Bridge is planned to maintain logistics in a live environment.
Farrans has started work on a £30m two-storey terminal extension at Bristol Airport, with the project designed to increase terminal capacity to 12 million passengers per year. The extension is an infill scheme between the existing terminal building and the departure gates, delivered within a live operational environment where passenger routes are required to remain open throughout the build.
Design details for the new area include a substantial expansion in internal area, with terminal floor space set to increase by almost 45%. The scheme adds 17 new retail and food-and-beverage units, taking the airport’s total to 38 outlets, alongside additional seating and provision for island retail units. The layout also includes a “hidden speakeasy bar” as part of the wider commercial fit-out.
On the arrivals side, the project includes a new domestic arrivals reclaim area with an additional baggage carousel and a stated 20% increase in capacity. Planned immigration upgrades include new lifts and stairs to improve circulation and accessibility through the arrivals processing space.
Farrans returns to the site after completing the airport’s £60m Public Transport Interchange in a joint venture with Griffiths in July 2025. That interchange is part of the airport’s wider £400m investment programme and is designed to support mode shift, with the airport citing around 250 public transport movements per day.
Logistics planning is being shaped around the constraints of a working airport, with temporary works and segregation required to maintain both passenger movement and controlled access between landside and airside zones. One of the more unusual measures is the planned use of a modular, military-style Bailey Bridge to transport vehicles and equipment between landside and airside without disrupting daily operations.
Peak workforce on site is expected to reach around 150 as the build progresses. The airport’s wider programme is scheduled across the next couple of years, with this terminal extension positioned as one of the key capacity and customer-experience components within that investment cycle.
