Bristol Airport delays as flights grounded after A38 crash

Dozens of flights out of Bristol Airport have been delayed by at least two hours after a serious crash on the A38.

Bristol Airport announced that no flights would take off before 8am on Saturday 28 October.

The collision took place at around midnight on the stretch of the A38 between the two roundabouts that are entrances to Bristol Airport. The road was then closed for around 5 hours from 1am.

It has since reopened, but delays are expected throughout the day.

Passengers started trying to arrive for early morning flights from around 3.30am and found the main road closed. Long queues formed on the main road and on country lanes around the airport as police tried to divert drivers around the scene.

At 4.50am, Bristol Airport announced that the road closure would delay any flight from taking off until at least 8am.

"Flights will not take off from Bristol Airport this morning until 8am," the airport posted on X.

"This is due to the A38 being closed following a road traffic collision. Passengers flying this morning are advised to leave extra time to travel to the Airport and check flight details with their airline."

Thousands of passengers are thought to be affected after more than 50 flights have so far been delayed at the airport.

Shortly after 8am, the airport released a statement online to confirm flights were now taking off and landing.

The first plane to take off from the runway at 8:01am was the delayed 6:05am Easyjet flight to Rome.

Some passengers shared their experiences on social media. One X user wrote: "Please advise how to get in. We’ve been three hours and got to North Side to get told by police both entry roads shut. Chaos on roads around airport and avoidable if you were clear on what we should do."

The A38 was also closed for around five hours on Friday afternoon and into the evening after a crash just north of the airport's main entrance.

Bristol Airport is continuing to advise passengers to allow extra time for their journey, even though the road has no reopened.

In an update at 10.30am, a spokesperson said: "Following the earlier road traffic collision, the A38 is now fully open. 

"Some flight delays may be expected. Customers should check with their airline for the latest flight information."