On May 2nd, 2024, Icelandic cargo airline Bluebird Nordic formally announced the cessation of its operations, with all aircraft handed back to their respective lessors. The carrier says that it “voluntarily surrendered” its Air Operator’s Certificate having operated its final service on April 30th, claiming that a slump in demand is behind the decision. Bluebird Nordic, which also operated under the trading name BBN Airlines Nordic, operated a fleet of Boeing 737 Freighters, split between the -400 and -800 variants of the type, and had recently acquired three Boeing 777-300ERs following the te ..read more

On Wednesday 10th April 2024 Fresh Aviation and Bristol Airport held the first spotters evening of the year and it was a great success. Fifty visitors of all ages attended the event with all ticket sale proceeds going to Bristol Airport charity of year, which this year is Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. Despite the damp and dreary weather everyone had a great time, got together and chatted and enjoyed the atmosphere, sadly the weather had other ideas and the end of the event was fogged out, but still made for interesting viewing and attendees saw the humourous side. Where has the airport ..read more

South West regional airport, Bristol Airport has recently revealed they saw record passenger numbers in 2023 with nearly 9.8 million passengers using the airport which makes 2023 the busiest year in the airport’s long history. The airport was one of the fastest airports in the UK to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, passengers were eagar to travel again for holidays and to visit friends and family and passengers have continued to grow since the pandemic and are now at a higher level than before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the airport reporting a 10% increase of passengers before and after the ..read more

Ecojet, which hopes to launch regional services in 2024 from its base in Edinburgh, has this week announced the appointment of seasoned aviation executive Rebecca Borresen as its Chief Operating Officer. The start-up carrier will initially launch traditionally-fuelled flights this summer using a fleet of ATR 72 turboprops, before transitioning to a split fleet including hydrogen-powered 19-seat aircraft by mid-2025. Borresen joins Ecojet with over 13 years’ experience in similar roles at firms including Gama Aviation and Specialist Aviation Services, and will form part of a team led by Peter D ..read more

Jet2, which first launched from Bristol Airport in 2021, has this week announced that it has purchased “over 300 tonnes” of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Q8Aviation for use on flights departing the airport in 2024. The Leeds-Bradford based carrier claims that the SAF it has acquired provides up to a 70% reduction in emissions when compared to traditional kerosene-based aviation fuels, with an unspecified “number of departing flights from Bristol Airport” due to be fuelled with a 1% blend of SAF. The announcement, which comes almost a year ahead of the UK Government’s 2025 SAF mandate, w ..read more

As part of a series of UK-wide fear of flying courses, easyJet will again take to the skies this April with a special experience flight from Bristol. According to Anxiety UK more than one in ten people in the UK have a fear of flying – although other surveys have put the figure as high as one in six. This type of experience has been credited with helping many to overcome their fear. easyJet’s Bristol one hour experience flight is scheduled for Saturday 27th April at 10.30am. It will take place on one of easyJet’s Airbus aircraft with an experienced crew. In addition to the dedicated team and t ..read more

Bristol Airport is now connected to Albania’s capital Tirana thanks to a new twice a week service commencing April 2nd. Albania offers stunning landscapes and is rich in history. It was a Stalinist state after World War 2 and only started to introduce open market economy and reforms in 1990. It is seen as an up and coming holiday destination for 2024 and the country is said to offer something for everyone. A short 20 minute cab from the city allows visitors to ride the famous Dajti Express Cable Car, a gentle 15 minute journey flying over the national park. The ascent offers views of treetops ..read more

We always get excited when new startup airlines are announced, and Global Airlines has been one we have kept our eye on. We understand the airline will never operate out of Bristol Airport or Cotswold Airport but we wanted to cover a momentous day for the airline. When Global Airlines founder and CEO, James Asquith, acquired his first A380 and announced his long haul airline aspirations, even the most optimistic aviation enthusiast had questions. However, last week his dream took a step closer to reality. I personally have been following the Global Airlines story closely as I have always loved ..read more

Since Jet2.com and Jet2 holidays arrived at Bristol Airport in the summer of 2021, they have gone from strength to strength. Every season they have increased their fleet and route capacity. 2024/2025 is no different. Following on from the announcement of Morocco as a new destination, they have now extended and added extra flights to their Christmas Markets season flying to Vienna and Prague. Other winter routes include daily flights to the Canary Islands as well as “ski Saturday” where you can fly to destinations such as Chambery and Innsbruck. Now with the addition of their city break model ..read more

With the recent rise in the popularity of live aviation streaming from airports, it was perhaps only a matter of time before Bristol Airport attracted the interest of aviation streamers. Just over a year ago, Danny Corder, the founder of Planecaster decided to have a go at filling this void. “I couldn’t see anybody streaming live from the airport on a regular basis and being inspired by the amazing streamers at other airports, I really wanted to bring this experience to Bristol Airport.” Despite coming from a technical background he freely admits he had no idea how to reliably broadcast live f ..read more