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Protesters campaigning against Bristol Airport’s expansion(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\nBristol City Council has formally voted to oppose the planned expansionProtesters campaigning against Bristol Airport’s expansion(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n
The latest plans to expand Bristol Airport to 15 million passengers a year have divided councillors in Bristol. The plans have now been formally opposed by a majority of councillors at Bristol City Council<\/a>, although Labour<\/a> abstained from a vote and the Tories backed the airport.<\/p>\n Bristol Airport<\/a> is planning to expand from 10.5 million passengers a year at the moment to 15 million passengers<\/a>. Two years ago the airport won permission from the High Court to expand to 12 million passengers, although that expansion still hasn\u2019t been rolled out yet.<\/p>\n Dozens of protesters gathered outside City Hall ahead of the full council meeting on Tuesday, July 8. The Green Party successfully tabled a motion, calling for Bristol City Council to officially oppose the latest expansion plan of the airport. Green Councillor Izzy Russell, who tabled the motion, grew up in a village in Chew Valley very close to the airport.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI remember becoming aware of the airport and how damaging it is \u2014 having to stop our school lessons every time a plane flew over because it was too noisy, friends who couldn\u2019t sleep at night due to night flights, seeing precious wildlife being increasingly encroached upon.<\/p>\n \u201cFlights over Bristol, including night flights, will increase. Our air quality will worsen, our roads will become more congested. This airport expansion is not just a destruction of our environment, it represents the erosion of democracy.<\/p>\n \u201cTime and time again we have made it clear that expansion is not wanted or needed. We must call on our region\u2019s mayor, Helen Godwin. You voted against this airport expansion five years ago, will you stand with us now?\u201d<\/p>\n She also called for a study exploring the cumulative effects of airports expanding across the country, so the combined increase in carbon dioxide emissions was clear, rather than looking at each expansion individually. She said that \u201csustainable aviation fuel\u201d makes up less than three per cent of total aviation fuel, and electric and hydrogen planes are unfeasible any time soon.<\/p>\n The huge battle over whether the airport should expand to 12 million passengers lasted six years, from 2017 to 2023. This latest expansion plan is likely to rehearse similar arguments, although this time round the airport wants a longer runway, flights to the US and the Middle East, and even more flights late at night with the potential to stop neighbours from sleeping.<\/p>\n A multi-storey car park is under construction at the airport, as part of the current expansion plans. One problem with more passengers flying there is the narrow A38 leading from the airport into Bristol, with congestion forecasted to increase. Some form of new mass transit could be one answer, although this has long been discussed with little progress ever made.<\/p>\n According to Labour, even if the airport doesn\u2019t expand, people will still want to fly to America or the Middle East, but they\u2019ll just head down to London to do so instead. And travelling to places like Edinburgh would be better for the environment on the train than via a plane, but the cost and time of catching the train means that many passengers prefer to buy a cheap, quick flight.<\/p>\n Labour Cllr Susan Kollar said: \u201cThe world is heating up, we are in a climate emergency and the airport is a big contributor to emissions. But I\u2019m not convinced that stopping one regional airport from expanding is the best way to reduce emissions. We need to decarbonise air travel and the best way to do this is tackling demand and providing alternatives.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019ll get people deciding to ditch their holiday plans if they can\u2019t fly directly from Bristol. They\u2019ll just fly from Cardiff or London, and that means more emissions in that travel. I don\u2019t think anyone should be flying from places like Bristol to places like Manchester. What we need is a high speed train there.\u201d<\/p>\n She suggested that the government roll out a frequent flyer levy, saying that frequent flyers are responsible for almost two thirds of new passenger traffic. Labour councillors abstained from voting on the motion, which was supported by Liberal Democrats<\/a> who voted in favour. The motion was opposed by Conservative councillors, highlighting the benefit to jobs in the area.<\/p>\n Conservative Cllr Richard Eddy said: \u201cBristolians will realise that [the Greens] have no desire to engage in grown up politics and are actively attacking Bristol\u2019s long-term interests. Bristol Airport is a huge success and England\u2019s third largest regional airport. It employs almost 6,000 people directly, many from South Bristol and almost 15,000 indirectly.\u201d<\/p>\n The motion passed by the council won\u2019t directly block the airport from expanding, but it does add a loud voice to the debate over whether it should go ahead. Bath<\/a> and North East Somerset Council also recently passed a motion opposing the expansion.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_BR_PG_080725protest-35.jpg\")
Campaigners are concerned about the effect on climate change(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n