Bristol Airport has appointed Simon Earles as Planning and Sustainability Director to oversee the development of a new Master Plan to meet future demand for air travel over the next two decades and beyond. In a related move, Andrew Goodenough has been promoted to the position of Development Director and will continue to lead the delivery of new infrastructure.
Simon joins from Heathrow, where he was most recently Planning and Policy Director. Prior to this, he was responsible for surface access to the Airport, leading on projects such as Crossrail, Western Rail Access and HS2. Simon brings over 16 years of experience in the aviation sector, having also worked for Luton Airport, and is a qualified transport planner.
His appointment comes as the Airport celebrates 60 years of flying from its current site and begins work on a long-term vision for the future. As Planning and Sustainability Director, Simon will be considering how Bristol Airport can meet the challenge of serving the South West region’s demand for international connectivity in a way that is sensitive to the local community and environment.
During a 10 year career at Bristol Airport, Andrew has overseen construction of two major terminal extensions, new aircraft stands and a range of car park improvements. Andrew is a board member of Constructing Excellence South West, and his previous experience includes managing capital expenditure projects at Luton, Cardiff and Belfast International Airports.
Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome Simon to the team. He brings a wealth of experience with him, including a track-record of delivering transformative surface access to airports. Simon will be instrumental in ensuring Bristol Airport is well positioned to continue connecting the region we serve, with positive benefits for all stakeholders. At the same time, Andrew’s promotion demonstrates our continued focus on creating high quality facilities which will enable us to meet demand for air travel today and in the future.”
Simon Earles added: “This is a great opportunity to join one of the UK’s most successful regional airports at an exciting time in its development. I look forward to bringing my experience of working with partners across the planning, environment and transport spheres to develop a truly sustainable future for Bristol Airport.”
Simon will be the second addition to Bristol Airport’s senior leadership team this year, following the recent appointment of Nigel Scott as Business Development Director.
Completion of a second major terminal extension earlier this year took investment at Bristol Airport since 2010 to more than £160 million. Other recent developments include a £2.3 million upgrade of the immigration hall, the opening of a first on-site hotel, and a new customer reception centre for the Silver Zone car park.
The route network available from Bristol Airport is also growing, with direct flights to more than 120 destinations and frequent daily services to major hubs including Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin and Frankfurt. Earlier this month, Thomson Airways commenced flights to Florida and Mexico using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, highlighting the scope for more direct long-haul destinations in future.
Bristol Airport has been ranked number one in the UK by the customer satisfaction benchmarking programme, Airport Service Quality (ASQ), for the last three quarters running.
Pictured above: Simon Earles, Planning and Sustainability Director at Bristol Airport
