Bristol!!!has overtaken NCL!
With the exclamation marks it seems the poster might be surprised but in terms of annual passenger numbers BRS overtook NCL in 2005 see (CAA stats) and the gap has gradually widened ever since to the current 4.46 mppa/6.23 mppa.
SWBKCB is correct in citing economic indicators -the Bristol region is one of the most economically vibrant in the country with a large number of comparatively well-off leisure travellers and also draws in two million of its annual passenger numbers from Wales, Devon and Cornwall (CAA stats again). This is why, even with a postage stamp sized airport physically, poor surface connectivity and sometimes challenging weather conditions in the 600 feet high 'mountains' of North Somerset on top of which BRS sits, the airport is the only one of the UK's top ten to have seen passenger number growth every year from and including 2010.
It's largely reliant on easyJet though and to a lesser extent Ryanair and now has no long haul following Continental's pull-out in 2010 and Thomson's axing of its transatlantic charters from this summer. So even there not everything in the garden is rosy.
NCL was mentioned in the context of BRS in the BRS thread the other day when the Middle East was being discussed. The thought was put that Turkish Airlines to Istanbul would be a more likely candidate than one of the MEB3, not least because their aircraft would be a better fit operationally at BRS.
A poster who is not a regular on the BRS thread but who makes valued contributions elsewhere on PPRuNe ventured the opinion that NCL would probably be ahead of BRS in Turkish's pecking order. I asked what led him/her to this conclusion having regard to the fact that NCL already has Emirates but so far there has been no reply. I don't necessarily disagree with that assessment but I was interested to learn the thinking behind it.