BA cancels Bristol flights as runway fears continue – 5 Jan 2007

British Airways has joined EasyJet in cancelling all services from Bristol International Airport amid concern about the safety of the runway, which is being resurfaced.

EasyJet cancelled all flights early today, saying it was unhappy with the surface in the rain, and BAConnect followed mid-morning after diverting an inbound flight from Paris to Birmingham.

Charter carrier XL.com has also suspended flights from Bristol until further notice, transferring passengers to Cardiff. It is asking clients to check in three hours before departure to allow for the transfer.

EasyJet and XL are among four carriers to have registered concerns about the runway since resurfacing began in November.

An XL spokeswoman said: “We had a pilot land on January 3 who was not happy with the surface and said it could present difficulties if wet. The aircraft took longer to brake to a halt than it should have.”

The Civil Aviation Authority is monitoring the situation. But a spokesman said: “We are satisfied safety standards have been met.”

No one from the airport was available to comment, pending release of a statement.