Bristol Airport, publicly owned and headquartered in the UK, was founded in 1930 and employs approximately 420 individuals. It functions as an international airport serving the city of Bristol, England, and the surrounding area. Located at Lulsgate Bottom, on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills, in North Somerset, it is 8 miles southwest of Bristol city centre. The airport was built on the site of a former RAF airfield and opened in 1957 as Bristol (Lulsgate) Airport, replacing Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport as Bristol's municipal airport. From 1997 to 2010, it operated under the name Bristol International Airport.