BRISTOL Airport has announced that it will be increasing its passenger capacity from 10 million to 12 million.

The Planning Insepctorate, a Government agency which deals with planning appeals, decided in February last year to release the airport's cap on the amount of passengers that they can have. The decision was challenged by the High Court Judge but the objection was eventually dismissed.

This goes hand in hand with the airport's plans to put major investment into the terminal building, parking facilities and public transport links.

Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport, said: “Bristol Airport welcomes the High Court Judge’s decision to dismiss the claim and uphold the planning permission to increase Bristol Airport’s capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers per annum.

"The decision is excellent news for our region’s economy, allowing us to create up to 5,000 new jobs, deliver more international destinations for the South West and South Wales, and invest hundreds of millions of pounds improving the customer experience.

"We will do this while working towards our ambitious target of net zero carbon operations by 2030. We look forward to working with stakeholders and the community to deliver our vision to be everyone’s favourite airport.”

The airport says the expanded capacity will add 800 jobs at Bristol Airport and up to a further 5,000 regionally, adding an estimated £430 million to the South West’s economy. New routes will also be put into place.

Bristol Airport aims to keep in line with its sustainability ethos and continue to work towards accelerating the development of zero emission flights by 2030.

For more information on the expansion, visit the Bristol Airport website.