A planned £8.6 million terminal extension at Bristol airport will create extra space for seating and shops as it hopes to attract long haul routes.
Construction of an eastern terminal extension will begin in September as the first major expansion of the terminal building since it opened in 2000.
Due for completion in summer 2015, the development will include hundreds of additional seats in the departure lounge and the potential for a second executive lounge.
An improved baggage processing area will be included, together with an outdoor terrace for passengers waiting to board their flights. More space will be available for existing retailers and other brands are expected to be attracted to the airport.
News of the expansion plan came within day of the opening of a £6.5 million central walkway designed to ease congestion at peak travel times
The walkway houses four pre-boarding zones serving six departure gates and has been designed to take into account the latest generation of twin-engine, wide-body jets, such as the Boeing 787.
Provision has been made for the addition of an airbridge for passengers boarding potential long haul flights in future.
Completed in time for the summer peak, the central walkway will be officially opened by aviation minister Robert Goodwill later this year.
The developments are part of expansion plans for the UK’s fifth largest airport outside London, with overall planning approval in place for facilities to handle 10 million passengers a year – up from 6.1 million in 2013.
Airport CEO Robert Sinclair said: “The central walkway sets a new benchmark for passenger facilities at Bristol airport and the eastern terminal extension will raise the bar higher again.
“This significant investment demonstrates our ambition to become the airport of choice for passengers across the South West and South Wales.
“High quality infrastructure will also make Bristol airport even more attractive to airlines, helping to extend the choice of destinations available – including long haul services to North America and the Middle East in future.”