Bristol Airport is hosting a "major recruitment drive" next month to prepare for an increase in passenger numbers over the summer season. It comes after staffing shortages were partly blamed for large queues at the departures terminal in the past few weeks.
The event will be held in Lulsgate House at Bristol Airport on Thursday, June 9 between 11am and 2pm with more than 50 employers offering job opportunities in areas such as customer service, hospitality, retail, airline handling and security. The jobs fair will also provide an insight into seasonal roles, which are ideal for students or those who just want a taster of working at the airport.
Debbie Hartshorn, people director at Bristol Airport said that the aviation industry, like many others, "is facing a challenging recruitment market". She added: "We are experiencing a fantastic recovery for the Airport having already seen a large increase in passenger numbers over the Easter period and the summer season is predicted to be even busier."
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"This is an exciting time for the aviation sector, however, there is no denying that the industry, like many others, is facing a challenging recruitment market. We will therefore be hosting a further jobs fair to showcase a wide range of employers and hundreds of interesting roles to suit people with different skills and experiences."
In the latest statement shared with Bristol Live in response to passengers' complaints about queues, a Bristol Airport spokesperson once again said: "We appreciate the frustration experienced by customers currently and please be reassured our teams are working exceptionally hard to assist customers throughout the airport journey. All business partners are continuing to recruit and train new colleagues, but this takes time, with stringent security clearance required."
The recruitment issue has been cited by several UK airports as a reason for passenger delays, not just in Bristol. Earlier this month, the Aviation Recruitment Network director Kully Sandhu told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “In my opinion, it’s going to take at least the next 12 months for the industry vacancy-wise to settle down."
Bristol Airport has appealed to anyone who enjoys working as part of a team, who is self-motivated and takes pride in doing a great job, to consider attending the recruitment day. These are some of the organisations that will be represented on the day:
- Security provider – ICTS
- Travel catering specialist – SSP
- Duty-free shopping operator – WDF
- Swissport
- DHL
- Jet2
- Mitie
- Superdrug
- InMotion
- Monsoon
- Hilton
- Europcar
- Claires Accessories
- Special assistance company - OCS
Job-seekers can register interest online and book your free travel to the event. Free parking will be available or subsidised travel on the Flyer buses from Weston and Bristol city centre.
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