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Belfast International Airport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Belfast International Airport Aerfort Idirnáisiúnta Bhéal Feirste Belfast/Aldergrove Airport
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| IATA: BFS – ICAO: EGAA | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | TBI plc | ||
| Operator | Belfast International Airport Ltd. | ||
| Serves | Belfast | ||
| Location | Aldergrove, County Antrim | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 268 ft / 82 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 07/25 | 2,780 | 9,121 | Asphalt |
| 17/35 | 1,891 | 6,204 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2006) | |||
| Aircraft Movements | 77,652 | ||
| Passengers | 5,015,000 | ||
| Source: AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK CAA.[1][2] |
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Belfast International Airport (Irish: Aerfort Idirnáisiúnta Bhéal Feirste) (IATA: BFS, ICAO: EGAA) is an airport located 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 1.4 million (39.2%) increase since 2001[2]. Belfast International is the 2nd busiest airport in Ireland in terms of passenger numbers, after Dublin Airport and it is the busiest airport in Ulster. It is the larger of two airports in Belfast (the other being George Best Belfast City Airport). There are 48 scheduled destinations served from the airport, with 16 domestic services and 32 European and transatlantic services. Transatlantic flights include Newark, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax. There are chartered flights to Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, the USA and many European destinations.
The airport is a major base for EasyJet and Jet2.com, with other airlines including Bmibaby, First Choice Airways and MyTravel Airways also having a large prescence. In December 2007, Aer Lingus will open a base at the airport, operating to eight destinations with three based aircraft by February 2008. The airport is owned by TBI plc, the same company which owns London Luton Airport, Cardiff International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport. Belfast International has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P798) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
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The site for the airport was established in 1917 when it was selected to be a Royal Flying Corps training establishment during the First World War. The airport remained open at the end of the war for RAF activity.
Civil traffic began in 1922 when flights were conducted flying newspapers from Chester, although it was not until 1933 that a regular, sustained civil air service started. The flight was to Glasgow and was operated by Midland and Scottish Air Ferries. This was subsequently augmented by flights to the Isle of Man, Liverpool and Croydon, then London’s airport.
During the Second World War, Aldergrove remained an RAF base particularly for the Coastal Command. So that the airport could accommodate larger, long-range aircraft, a major works programme was undertaken to replace the four existing runways with two new long paved runways, thereby forming the basis of the layout that still exists at the airport today.
One of the outcomes of the wartime airfield construction programme was the building of Nutts Corner Airport, just three miles from Aldergrove. On 1 December 1946 the new site replaced Belfast Harbour Airport (now Belfast City Airport) as Northern Ireland’s civil airport, as the site at Sydenham was considered unsuitable.
By the 1950s civil air traffic had outstripped the facilities at Nutts Corner and, in addition, aircraft were being regularly diverted to Aldergrove because of adverse weather conditions. In July 1959 the decision was made to move civil flights to Aldergrove to take advantage of the large airfield and this took place in October 1963.
A new terminal and apron were built with the necessary passenger facilities and the complex was opened by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother on 28 October 1963. In 1966 the first regular jet service to Gatwick started and in 1968 Aer Lingus and BOAC introduced scheduled services to New York via Shannon and Prestwick respectively.
In 1971 Northern Ireland Airports Limited was formed to operate and develop the airport and its facilities. A major programme of airfield upgrades was undertaken resulting in improvements to runways, taxiways and the parking apron.
A new International Pier was built together with lounge facilities and car parks, while an additional apron was provided to separate the smaller general aviation aircraft from large commercial jets. In the meantime, British Airways launched the first Belfast to Heathrow shuttle service, and the first Boeing 747 operated from the airport on a charter service to Toronto via Shannon. The first scheduled service to a European city was started by NLM Cityhopper (now KLM Cityhopper) flying to Amsterdam.
In 1983 the airport, renamed Belfast International, was regularly accommodating the largest civil aircraft in service, and with the installation of new technology was capable of all weather operations. In 1985 passenger numbers reached 1.5 million and British Midland went into competition with British Airways on the Heathrow service. Further developments to the Terminal occurred throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. A new Executive Aviation Terminal was opened in 1987 and the new cargo centre opened in 1991.
The airport was privatised in 1994. TBI became the new owners of the airport on 13 August 1996, by which time annual passenger numbers had reached 2.5 million.
In 1998 EasyJet started operations from the airport with flights to London Luton. Since then the airline has established a large base at Belfast International and a further eight domestic routes and 15 direct European scheduled routes have been added to the network, making the airline the largest user of the airport. [3]
In 2005 Continental Airlines launched the first ever direct scheduled service to New York (Newark), and direct scheduled services have since been introduced to Vancouver with Zoom Airlines.
In December 2007 Aer Lingus opened a base at Belfast International, its third hub (and first outside the Republic of Ireland). By Febuary 2008 three Airbus A320 aircraft will be based at the airport serving eight Aer Lingus routes from Belfast, with possible future transatlantic services, and will restore the link between Belfast International and London Heathrow Airport. [4]
The additional flights are expected to help push total passengers at Belfast International beyond 6 million in 2008. [5]
- 86% of passengers at Belfast fly scheduled flights, with 14% on charter flights. [2]
- It is the largest airport in Northern Ireland and 2nd largest in all of Ireland, after Dublin Airport.
- 26% of passengers from Belfast International are business flyers. This equates to 1.2 million business passengers per annum.[citation needed]
- 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.
- It is the third largest regional air cargo centre in the UK. [6]
- It is the closest all-weather airport in Europe to the United States.
- The busiest UK destination is London (3 airports combined), followed by Liverpool. [7]
- The busiest continental European destination is Palma de Mallorca. [7]
- The busiest transatlantic destination is Newark (New York) [7]
- Passenger growth: Serving over 5,015,000 passengers in 2006 [2], Belfast International Airport is the busiest airport in Northern Ireland. The airport has experienced steady growth in passenger numbers, aircraft movements and freight throughput over the last 10 years.
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- Domestic and European success: EasyJet has announced three new routes to Venice, Prague and Barcelona. For 2007 EasyJet have added six new routes including Kraków and Ibiza, bringing their total number of destinations served from Belfast to 26. 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 19% of EasyJet’s entire network. Jet2.com has also announced huge expansion for 2007. Jet2.com's winter schedule will come into effect soon which means there will be daily flights to Tenerife, Las Palmas and Palma. It will also operate five other routes: Ibiza, Málaga, Milan-Bergamo, Majorca and Toulouse. Jet2.com domestic services to Leeds Bradford International Airport and Blackpool International Airport were reported to be doing well and that there was a high demand for the flight. This will bring the number of destinations served by Jet2.com from Belfast to 12. September 2007 also saw the announcement that Wizz Air will operate two new routes to Eastern Europe. These new routes are Warsaw and Katowice. Manx2 have now started a fourth daily service to the Isle of Man due to the high popularity with the three times daily service. Aer Lingus currently bases one aircraft at the airport, serving three European destinations, with three aircraft to be based operating eight routes by February 2007.
- Transatlantic success: In its first year of operation Continental Airlines carried approximately 85, 000 passengers on its Belfast-Newark route, an estimated 40 per cent of whom have been inbound US passengers visiting Northern Ireland on business or leisure trips.[citation needed] 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 Newark 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 February 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[citation needed]. On 28 July Flyglobespan announced that it will commence a scheduled service from Belfast to Orlando[citation needed]. Weekly flights are to start in November using Boeing 767 aircraft. Aer Lingus hope to start transatlantic services by September 2008 to New York City, Chicago and Boston and Mr. O'Leary , Ceo of Ryanair said: 'Aer lingus's transatlantic flights will be gone from Shannon by next September and transferred to Belfast, I have absolutely no doubt in mind and I have no insight. But my view is that Aer Lingus transferring Shannon -Heathrow to Belfast is s pre-cursor for Aer Lingus to transfer the transatlantic flights as well.' The director of Shannon Airport has confirmed that Aer Lingus have not made any commitments to the airport beyond next summer.
| Carrier | Destination | Start date |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Geneva | 11th December, 2007 |
| London Heathrow | 14th January, 2008 | |
| Málaga, Rome | 25th February, 2008 | |
| Budapest, Faro | 26th February, 2008 | |
| Nice | 1st April, 2008 | |
| Jet2.com | Chambery | 15 December, 2007 |
| MyTravel Airways | Las Vegas | 12th March, 2008 |
Due to Northern Ireland's relative isolation to other countries, about two of every five flights in and out of the airport are destined for England, Scotland or Wales.
Scheduled Destinations[10]
- Aer Lingus (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest [begins 26 February, 2008], Geneva [begins 11 December], Faro [begins 26 February, 2008], London-Heathrow [begins 14 January, 2008], Málaga [begins 25 February, 2008], Nice [begins 30 March, 2008], Rome-Fiumicino [begins 25 February, 2008])
- Air Transat (Toronto-Pearson)
- bmi
- bmibaby (Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, Manchester)
- 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, Málaga, Newcastle, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome-Ciampino, Venice)
- Flyglobespan (Orlando-Sanford, Toronto-Hamilton [seasonal])
- Jet2.com (Barcelona, Blackpool, Chambéry [begins 15th December], Ibiza, Las Palmas, Leeds/Bradford, Málaga, Milan-Bergamo, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Pisa, Prague [ends 3 March, 2008], Tenerife-South, Toulouse)
- Manx2 (Isle of Man)
- Wizz Air (Katowice, Warsaw)
- Zoom Airlines (Halifax, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)
- Air Greenland
- Air Malta (Malta)
- Air Transat (Toronto-Pearson)
- Austrian Airlines
- BMI (Tenerife, Las Palmas, Arrecife, Dalaman, Paphos)
- Dubrovnik Airline (Dubrovnik, Split, Pulas)
- Eurocypria Airlines
- Finnair
- First Choice Airways (Alicante, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bourgas, Dalaman, Faro, Heraklion, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Tenerife)
- Futura International Airways
- Hemus Air
- Monarch Airlines (Orlando-Sanford)
- Onur Air (Bodrum, Dalaman)
- Spanair (Alicante, Arrecife, Malaga, Tenerife South)
- Thomas Cook Airlines (Alicante, Almeria, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bourgas, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Grenoble, Heralkion, Ibiza, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Malaga, Menorca, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife, Tunisia)
- Thomsonfly (Alicante, Bridgetown, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Tenerife South)
- XL Airways (Arrecife, Corfu, Heraklion, Las Palmas, Rhodes)
- MyTravel Airways (Alicante, Almeria, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancun, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Las Vegas [begins March 2008], Mahon, Malaga, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Puerto Plata, Reus, Rhodes, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife)
- Aviance (bmibaby, Continental Airlines, Manx2)
- Servisair (Jet2.com, Zoom Airlines, all charter companies)
- Menzies Aviation (EasyJet, Dubrovnik Airline, Wizz Air)
- Aer Lingus Baggage Handling
- BA World Cargo (cargo airlines)
Belfast International Airport is one of the most important regional airfreight centres in the UK or Ireland, handling up to 50,000 tonnes (49,210 Long ton) of air cargo in 2004. Due to Ireland's relative isolation, superior airfreight services are vital for the entire island. BIA plays host to a long-established nightly Royal Mail operation. The major cargo operators are:
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 mi (11 km) to the airport. From the north and north west the route is easiest found by coming south on the M2 again to junction 5.
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 northwest by the Airporter. This coach service operates 7 days a week and an hourly service from Monday-Friday.
The nearest railway station is the Antrim railway station which is 10 km (6 mi) from the airport in Antrim, and is serviced by a bus link called the Antrim Airlink, which departs from in front of the terminal building, Monday-Friday only. There are connections to Belfast, Lisburn and Derry. Trains to and from Dublin are via Belfast Central railway station, which has its own Airbus stop. A new station serving the airport could one day be constructed on the mothballed Lisburn-Antrim railway line as set out in the airport master plan. This line remains in serviceable condition and passes close to the airport terminal.
In September 2006, Belfast International Airport published their master plan[11] for the next 25 years. The master plan predicts that passenger numbers will increase to between 6 million passengers per annum (mppa) and 7.5 mppa by 2015 and to 12 mppa by 2030. Cargo throughput at BIA could reach as high as 82,000 t (80,705 L/T) by 2015, and 148,000 t (145,663 L/T) by 2030. To accommodate this growth a number upgrades have been suggested, some of these are listed below.
- 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 (to accommodate more and larger aircraft)
- Passenger aircraft parking apron expanded into cargo apron
- Construction of multi-storey car park and high level link to terminal
- Expansion of cargo/freight handling facilities and apron to western extent of airport lands
- New three 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.
- Demolition of the old terminal and to build a new one
- ^ Aircraft movements 2006
- ^ a b c d Terminal passengers 2006
- ^ easyJet Route Map. easyJet. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ^ Belfast International Airport lands Aer Lingus. Belfast International Airport Press Office. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ^ We have lift-off!. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
- ^ UK Airport Freight Analysis 2006
- ^ a b c Passenger Route Analysis 2006
- ^ a b Number of Passengers, Freight and Mail include both domestic and international counterparts.
- ^ Number of Movements represents total takeoffs and landings during that year.
- ^ Airlines. Belfast International Airport. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
- ^ Master Plan
- Belfast International Airport (Official Site)
- The Airporter
- Airbus 300
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| London | City · Gatwick · Heathrow · Luton · Stansted · Southend · Biggin Hill · Ashford |
| England | Birmingham · Blackpool · Bournemouth · Bristol · Coventry · Doncaster-Sheffield · Durham Tees Valley · East Midlands · Exeter · Gloucestershire · Humberside · Leeds-Bradford · Liverpool · Manchester · Newcastle · Newquay · Norwich · Southampton · Land's End · Plymouth · St. Mary's · Shoreham (Brighton City) |
| Scotland | Aberdeen · Edinburgh · Glasgow International · Glasgow Prestwick · Inverness · Sumburgh · Barra · Benbecula · Campbeltown · Dundee · Eday · Fair Isle · Islay · Kirkwall · Lerwick · Oban · Scatsta · Stornoway · Tiree · Westray · Wick |
| Wales | Cardiff · Anglesey |
| Northern Ireland | Belfast City · Belfast International · Derry |
| Crown Dependencies | Alderney · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey |
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| Republic of Ireland: Connemara • Cork • Dublin • Galway • Kerry • Knock • Weston • Shannon • Sligo • Waterford • Casement Aerodrome • Donegal Northern Ireland: Belfast City • Belfast International • City of Derry • Enniskillen/St Angelo Airport • Newtownards |