BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

'Belfast International Airport' ('''Aerfort Idirnáisiúnta Bhéal Feirste''' in Irish) is an airport located some 21 kilometres (13 miles) northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It is also known as Aldergrove, after the village of that name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with the Royal Air Force base RAF Aldergrove, which otherwise has its own facilities. Over 5 million passengers (2.1% of passengers at all UK airports) travelled through the airport in 2006 (a 1.7 million/54.1% increase over 2000). Belfast International is the 11th busiest airport in the UK in terms of passenger numbers[1] and it is the busiest airport in Northern Ireland. It is also the second busiest airport in all Ireland (after Dublin Airport's 21.1 million passengers). BIA serves 47 scheduled destinations with 15 domestic services and 32 European and transatlantic services. Belfast International Airport transatlantic flights include Newark, Orlando (with two airlines), Toronto (with two airlines), Vancouver and Halifax. There are chartered flights to Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, the USA and many European destinations.

Contents

History

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled airlines

Charter operators

Cargo operators

Key facts

Transport links

Future plans

References

External links

References

History

★ On 26 May 2005 Continental Airlines began nonstop flights to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, United States.

★ On June 202006 13.5kg of cocaine was seized in the airport. The seizure, valued at around £3m, was the largest in Irish history. Two German men were arrested on suspicion of trafficking. It is believed they were boarding a flight to Luton Airport and intended to travel onwards to mainland Europe. [2]

★ On August 72007 Aer Lingus announced that its first hub outside the Republic of Ireland would be situated at BFS. Three aircraft will be based at the airport initially. This will be the start of a lot of new Aer Lingus flights from Belfast, including transatlantic services. This restores the link between BFS and London Heathrow Airport. [3]

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled airlines

★ Aer Lingus (Amsterdam [begins 10 December 2007], Barcelona [begins 10 December 2007], Budapest [begins 26 February 2008], Geneva [begins 11 December 2007], Faro [begins 26 February 2008], London-Heathrow [begins 14 January 2008], Malaga [begins 25 February 2008],Nice[begins 1st April 2008], Rome-Fiumicino [begins 25 February 2008])

★ Air Transat (Toronto-Pearson)

★ Bmi

★
★ bmibaby (Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, East Midlands)

★ Continental Airlines (Newark)

★ easyJet (Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bristol, Edinburgh, Faro, Gdansk, Geneva, Glasgow-International, Ibiza, Krakow, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Malaga, Newcastle, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome-Ciampino, Venice)

★ Flyglobespan (Orlando-Sanford, Toronto-Hamilton)

★ Jet2.com (Barcelona, Blackpool, Chambery [begins 10 December 2007], Ibiza, Las Palmas, Leeds/Bradford, Malaga, Milan-Bergamo, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Pisa, Prague, Tenerife-South, Toulouse)

★ Manx2 (Isle of Man)

★ Wizz Air (Katowice, Warsaw)

★ Zoom Airlines (Halifax, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)

Charter operators

Destinations in Europe and North America are also served from BIA by charter airlines. Operators include:

★ MyTravel Airways

★ Excel Airways

★ First Choice Airways

★ Air Transat

★ Futura

★ Thomsonfly

★ Thomas Cook Airlines

★ Hemus Air

★ Finnair

★ Helios Airways

★ Eurocypria

★ Greece Airways/Air Scotland
Some of the destinations served are -

★ Alicante, Alghero, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Bergamo, Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancun, Corfu, Crete, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gerona, Guernsey, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Jersey, Kefalonia, Lapland, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Las Vegas, Lourdes, Mahon, Malaga, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Orlando (Sanford), Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Puerto Plata, Plovdiv, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife, Toronto, Varna, Verona.

Cargo operators

Belfast International Airport is one of the most important regional airfreight centres in the UK, handling up to 50,000 tonnes of air cargo in 2004. Due to Northern Ireland's relative isolation from both mainland UK and Europe, superior airfreight services are vital. BIA plays host to a long-established nightly Royal Mail operation. The major cargo operators are:

★ DHL Worldwide Express

★ TNT Airways

Key facts

★ 'Passenger Growth': Serving over 4.8 million passengers in 2005, Belfast International Airport is the principal gateway to Northern Ireland. BIA has experienced steady growth over the past few years.


★ 'Domestic and European Success': Easyjet has announced a new route for 2007 to Krakow in Poland, bringing their total number of destinations served from Belfast to 20. With over three million passengers traveling through their Belfast base per year, it has become one of easyJet’s fastest growing bases, and now accounts for 12% of easyJet’s entire network. Jet2 has also announced huge expansion for 2007. Their Blackpool service will be increased to double daily, (Jet2.com reported "amazing demand" on the route since it was launched). Jet2 will also operate 5 new routes: Ibiza, Malaga, Milan-Bergamo, Palma Majorca and Toulouse. This will bring the number of destinations served by Jet2 from Belfast to 12. September also saw the announcement Wizz air to operate 2 new routes to Eastern Europe. These new routes are Warsaw and Katowice. Manx2 have now started a 3 times daily service to the Isle of Man.

★ 'Transatlantic Success': In its first year of operation Continental carried approximately 85,000 passengers on its Belfast-New York route, an estimated 40 per cent of whom have been inbound US passengers visiting Northern Ireland on business or leisure trips. The figure exceeds the 70,000 target set by the airline for the first year of operation. In March the airline, announced an increase in the frequency of the Belfast to New York service from five flights a week to seven due to demand. The daily service operates from March to October and five times a week in winter. Zoom Airlines announced in Feb 2006 that their route to Toronto had been “hugely successful” and that direct scheduled flights would occur all year round. June 2006 also saw the first direct scheduled service from Belfast to Vancouver. On 28 July Flyglobespan announced that they are to commence a scheduled service from Belfast to Orlando. Weekly flights are to start in November using Boeing 767 aircraft.

★ 'Top Domestic Destinations:' The most popular domestic destination from Belfast is London followed by Liverpool.The least popular destination is Birmingham but now BmiBaby have increased flights on the route it looks like passenger numbers on this route will increase.


★ 77% of passengers at Belfast fly scheduled flights, with only 23% on charter.

★ 26% of passengers from Belfast International are business flyers. This equates to 1.2 million Business passengers per annum.

★ The airport operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is not subject to noise abatement procedures, significant environmental constraints or airspace limitations.

★ Two runways, one with Cat IIIb ILS equipment, offer all weather capability.

★ Fifth largest regional air cargo centre in the UK.

★ Full range of warehouse and distribution centre.

★ Extensive ancillary services on site including executive air charter, air taxi, air ambulance, helicopter training and hire.

Transport links

'By Road:'
Travellers by car from Belfast reach the airport by travelling north on the M2 motorway, turning off at junction 5 and then via A57 for 7 miles to the airport. From the north and north west the route is easiest found by coming south on the M2 again to junction 5.
'By Bus:'
Translink operates a bus service every 10 minutes (Airbus 300) to the airport from their Europa Buscentre, in the centre of Belfast.
This is usually considered the most convenient method of transport to the city centre.
The airport can be reached from Derry and the North West by the Airporter. This coach service operates 7 days a week and an hourly service from Monday-Friday.
'By Train:'
The nearest railway station, 6 miles from the airport is Antrim, with no connecting bus. There are connections to Belfast, Lisburn and Derry. Trains to and from Dublin are via Belfast Central Station, which has its own Airbus stop. A new station serving the airport could one day be constructed on the mothballed Antrim-Lisburn railway line as set out in the airport master plan. This line remains in serviceable condition and passes close to the airport terminal.

Future plans

Belfast International Airport recently published their Master Plan for the next 25 years. The master plan predicts that passenger numbers will increase to between 6 MPPA (Million Passengers Per Annum) and 7.5 mppa by 2015 and soar to 12 mppa by 2030. Cargo throughput at BIA could reach as high as 82,000 tonnes by 2015, and 148,000 by 2030. To accommodate this growth a number upgrades have been suggested, some of these are named below.
'2006-2015'

★ Extension of International Check in Hall

★ Extension and reconfiguration of Domestic Baggage Hall

★ Construction of a new South Pier including departure lounges

★ Extension of West Pier

★ Passenger Aircraft Parking Apron expanded into Cargo Apron

★ Construction of Multistorey Car park and high level link to terminal

★ Expansion of cargo / freight handling facilities and apron to western extent of airport lands
'2015-2030'

★ New 3 storey central core linking to existing and recently developed areas.

★ A passenger rail connection to the airport

★ Enhanced highway links between airport and M2 motorway and improved public transport direct to all parts of Northern Ireland.

References

External links

★ Belfast International Airport (Official Site)

★ The Airporter

★ Airbus 300

References

★ United Kingdom AIP