When infrastructure projects move into the public arena, the debate can quickly become abstract. Passenger numbers, runway capacity and economic multipliers are all important, but they rarely capture how connectivity shapes real commercial decisions on the ground.
This is where adds real value, grounding the discussion in how organisations actually operate, grow and compete. This is also the focus of this newly commissioned report, which builds a clear, evidence-led picture of how connectivity is experienced in practice by the business community and how it influences economic activity.
Understanding connectivity through business behaviour
For this project, CBI Economics focused on understanding the behaviour and experiences of organisations themselves. Our methodology combined:
- A survey of 230 organisations across the South West and South Wales
- In-depth interviews with businesses and visitor economy organisations
- Targeted case studies illustrating how connectivity shapes outcomes in practice.
This allowed us to move beyond abstract impacts and examine how connectivity supports core economic activity: from client relationships and supply chains to international engagement and event delivery.
What businesses and organisations told us
The findings point to a clear and consistent message: connectivity is not just about travel, it underpins how organisations operate.
- 56% of organisations use Bristol Airport at least a few times per year for business-related travel
- 79% say in-person engagement enabled by air travel is important to their organisation’s success
- 52% rely on other UK airports due to gaps in route availability or frequency.
For many organisations, reliance on other airports is not a strategic choice but a workaround. Around 58% report typically using alternative UK airports when routes or capacity are unavailable, introducing additional time, cost and complexity into international engagement.
For the majority of organisations, improved connectivity would primarily reduce friction. Respondents most frequently pointed to shorter travel times, improved reliability and lower costs, with 56% highlighting journey time improvements and 43% pointing to cost reductions. For others, the implications are broader, with around 45% of organisations that already use Bristol Airport at least a few times per year reporting that improved connectivity would support entry into new markets and over a third expecting it to enable them to pursue larger or more complex opportunities. In the visitor economy, the potential impact is particularly pronounced, with 70% of organisations indicating that improved long-haul connectivity would increase international engagement.
Looking ahead, these patterns are unlikely to remain static. More than a third of organisations, 36%, expect their international travel needs to increase over the next one to three years, suggesting that existing constraints could become more binding over time.
Turning evidence into insight
A central aim of the project was to ensure the findings were both credible and usable. That meant going beyond headline statistics to understand the mechanisms behind them.
By combining quantitative survey results with qualitative insights from interviews and case studies, the analysis captures how connectivity influences decisions about where to meet clients, how to structure supply chains, and where international engagement takes place. It also highlights how activity can be displaced across regions when connectivity does not align with business needs, adding nuance to how regional and national dynamics are understood.
This kind of evidence is particularly valuable in complex or sensitive contexts, where stakeholders require a clear, balanced view grounded in primary data.
What this means for other organisations
While this work focuses on aviation, the approach has much wider relevance.
Across infrastructure, transport and place-based policy, organisations are increasingly being asked to demonstrate how their activities translate into real economic outcomes. That requires more than high-level modelling. It requires evidence rooted in how businesses and institutions actually behave.
This work with Bristol Airport shows how combining survey evidence, stakeholder engagement and case studies can:
- Quantify where constraints are already affecting activity
- Distinguish between efficiency gains and new economic opportunities
- Surface displacement effects and regional dynamics in a measured, evidence-led way
- Build narratives that are credible with policymakers, stakeholders and the media.
Most importantly, it allows organisations to ground complex or sensitive questions in primary evidence, rather than assertion.
By focusing on the experiences of businesses, this project provides a grounded perspective on how connectivity supports economic activity today and how it may shape future outcomes. For organisations facing similarly complex questions, the lesson is clear. The most effective evidence is often the evidence that reflects how the economy works in practice.
About CBI Economics
CBI Economics is the economic consultancy arm of the Confederation of British Industry, providing independent economic analysis, business insight and policy evaluation to clients across the UK and internationally. We combine deep analytical capability with direct access to businesses across sectors and regions, enabling us to deliver robust surveys, impact assessments, cost-benefit analysis and strategic advisory work grounded in real-world evidence. Our clients include government departments, universities, regulators, industry bodies and leading private firms.
To discuss how we can support your organisation, please get in touch.
