Travel chaos at Bristol Airport as dozens of flights grounded after crash on A38

Dozens of flights were grounded at Bristol Airport this morning following a crash on the main route to the terminals.

The A38 was closed between the two airport roundabouts shortly after 1am on Saturday, October 28, Avon and Somerset police say.

A spokesperson for the airport said the crash had caused delayed to “passengers, staff, and our own shuttle buses”.

The airport released a statement at 4:50am on Saturday to tell passengers that “flights will not take off from Bristol Airport this morning until 08:00”.

They added: “Passengers flying this morning are advised to leave extra time to travel to the Airport and check flight details with their airline.”

With 29 flights that were due to take off between 6:05am and 8am being delayed and 24 flights after 8am already being delayed, it’s thought over 6,000 passengers will be affected by the chaos.

Some travellers took to social media to share their experience. One X user wrote: “Stood in the departure lounge at Bristol airport – no announcements or information being provided to the thousands of people waiting here. Not everyone has access to X to see their flights are massively delayed!”

Others confirmed “chaos” in the airport lounges.

Shortly after 8am the airport released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm flights were now taking off and landing.

The first plane to take off from the runway promptly at 8:01am was the delayed 6:05am easyjet flight to Rome. As of 8:45am on Saturday, 15 flights have taken off from the airport.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: “We are advising motorists to avoid the A38 near Bristol Airport this morning (Saturday 28 October) following a two-vehicle collision.

“The road is currently closed between the two airport roundabouts. We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.”

The A38 however still remains closed and Bristol Airport is advising travellers to “leave extra time to travel” to the airport.