There has been a lot of development in recent years. The recession has slowed things down at BRS as it has everywhere else of course, though BRS has weathered the downturn of the past five years better than many airports. Whenever I go to the airport there seems to be something being built or altered.
The progress, lack of progress more accurately, of the hotel is the most mysterious aspect of the infrastructure development.
In October 2009 the local press was reporting that the airport had signed an agreement with Pederson Airport Hotels for a 250-room on site hotel. Pederson was expected to select an internationally recognised brand over the next few months to run it. At that time Pederson owned three hotels in Bristol (they may still do so, I'm not sure).
This might have been somewhat premature because planning permission was not granted for another 12 months at which time it was reported that work would begin in 2011 with an anticipated completion date of winter 2012/2013.
I can find no mention of the hotel in the airport consultative committee minutes since April 2012 when the CEO, in answer to a question, said the project was ongoing but there were no new developments to report.
As regards the expansion generally, the airport has always said it would be done incrementally as traffic dictated.
Three new aircraft stands were finished last year as part of the expansion and a number of other projects have been completed in the past year including including an extension to the security search area and a new immigration channel. The new lounge opened last month too.
Last year it was reported that a contractor had been appointed to carry out initial preparatory work on the first phase of the terminal building extension, and a few months ago a 'framework' of contractors (a device created to avoid the potentially cumbersome EU procurement rules) was named in the trade press who would carry out the various expansion tasks as they came on stream.
Earlier this year I heard an airport spokesman tell a local radio interviewer that the central walkway would be the next work to be carried out but no date was given. It actually formed part of the non-material amendments submitted to the local authority planners last January so that would have delayed things a bit anyway.
Perhaps they are now waiting until after the busy summer period before commencing this work.