Bristol Airport is showcasing a Concorde visual experience for summer passengers.
The airport has unveiled a lighting feature in the departure lounge based on the iconic ‘delta’ wing shape of Concorde. Passengers can new admire the acclaimed, locally built aircraft while waiting to board their flights.
Lighting Services and SSE Contracting have worked on the design and installation of the lighting feature, based on the brief by Bristol Airport’s head of engineering, Fraser Dury, who commented, ‘We wanted to enhance the passenger experience within the departure lounge by increasing the lighting levels. The location we chose is above the main seating area and visible from both the first floor and mezzanine level, so the idea of doing something a bit different and creating a talking point for passengers developed. Taking the iconic shape of Concorde for inspiration made sense because of the strong links between the aircraft and Bristol.’
The lighting feature measures 9.2 metres by 3.7 metres and weighs 120kgs, with LED coloured lighting following the distinctive style and shape of Concorde.
Mike Littleton, Bristol Airport’s community relations manager and former chairman of the Concorde Trust, said: ‘We are very proud of Bristol’s aviation history and the new lighting feature emphasises the links between design, manufacturing and commercial aviation. Not only will the lighting feature be practical, it will also remind passengers of the wealth of aviation history attached to the city of Bristol.’
An additional visual enhancement has been included in the walkway connecting the terminal to a number of departure gates, where new artwork showcases various visitor attractions in the region. The new imagery complements a 57m mural that aims to capture the spirit of the South West for inbound visitors, and a 40m long display showcasing the Airbus aircraft and local employees involved in its design and manufacture.
Bristol Airport is preparing for a busy summer holiday season and has already recorded its busiest June ever with over 625,000 passengers travelling through the terminal. This is a 3.4 percent increase over June 2012, and also surpassed by 15,000 the previous record set in 2008.