Airport passenger numbers continue to grow inexorably, but like the city itself the airport tends to operate under the radar in a national sense for much of the time. With an additional TUI based aircraft (number 4), an additional Thomas Cook based aircraft (number 3), an additional easyJet based aircraft (number 15) plus TUI's 'part based' B787 for 4 days each week this summer, not to mention the usual raft of new routes that come along every year, 'supporters' of many small airports would consider things to be extremely buoyant. This year is likely to see a rise of 'only' around 400,000 passengers though, taking the annual total to the region of 8.6 million.
Compared with 2017 (up 630,000), 2016 (up 823,000) and even 2015 (up 448,000) this might be seen as a slight disappointment by some followers, hence perhaps the lack of posts in this thread. BRS's passenger numbers cannot continue to rise at the rate of recent years. Apart from anything else, a breather is probably needed to enable facilities to catch up with the demand, albeit the airport has been a perpetual bulding site for most of the last 20 years and continues to be so as infrastructure continues to be developed.
I know that you are aware of all this but others who have a passing interest in the airport might not be. Yet again this week I was as good as called a liar when I told someone that BRS is easily the busiest English regional airport after Manchester and Birmingham. Even Grayling, the transport minister, admitted he hadn't realised how busy the airport was when he visited Lulsgate last year.