Belfast International Airport

Belfast International Airport Belfast/Aldergrove Airport
File:Belfast int.png
IATA: BFS ICAO: EGAA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	ADC & HAS.
Operator	Belfast International Airport Ltd.
Serves	Belfast, United Kingdom
Location	Aldergrove, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Elevation AMSL	268 ft / 82 m
Website	www.belfastairport.com
Map
EGAA Location in Northern Ireland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 07/25 2,780 9,121 Asphalt 17/35 1,891 6,204 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 4,391,307 Passenger change 14-15 8.9% Aircraft Movements 52,246 Movements change 14-15 2.5
Sources: UK AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Belfast International Airport (IATA: BFS, ICAO: EGAA) is an airport 11.5 NM (21.3 km; 13.2 mi) northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the nearby village of Aldergrove, which lies immediately to the west. Nearly 4.4 million passengers travelled through the airport in 2015, a 9% increase compared with 2014. Belfast International is the busiest airport in Northern Ireland and the second busiest airport on the island of Ireland in terms of passenger numbers after Dublin Airport and is followed by Belfast-City, Cork and Shannon.

Belfast International has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P798) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. The airfield was previously shared with the Royal Air Force base RAF Aldergrove, which closed in 2008; the base is now known as Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station, Aldergrove and both runways are now owned by the airport. The airport is owned by ADC & HAS, the same company which owns Stockholm Skavsta, Orlando Sanford International Airport, Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, Mariscal Sucre International Airport and Juan Santamaría International Airport.

History

1917-1945

The airport lies within the parish of Killead, between the small villages of Killead (to the east) and Aldergrove (to the west). 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 and a regular civil air service started in 1933. 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 station 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.

1946-1970

One of the outcomes of the wartime airfield construction programme was the building of Nutts Corner Airport, just 3 mi (4.8 km) from Aldergrove. On 1 December 1946, the new site replaced Belfast Harbour Airport (now George Best 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 London-Gatwick started and in 1968 Aer Lingus and BOAC introduced scheduled services to New York City via Shannon and Glasgow-Prestwick respectively.

1971-1999

Curbside of the terminal building.

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 BMI 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 eleven domestic routes and fifteen direct European scheduled routes have been added to the network, making the airline the largest user of the airport.

Development since the 2000s

In 2005 Continental Airlines launched the first ever nonstop scheduled service to Newark, which continues to operate under the United Airlines brand.

In July 2013, it was confirmed that abertis would sell Belfast International Airport, Stockholm Skavsta Airport & Orlando Sanford International Airport to ACD and HAS based in the United States.

In February 2015 the airport re-opened the viewing gallery that had been closed for 10 years, it provides a view of the apron and the runways that serve the airport. It also includes live ATC, arrival and departure boards, and a live flightradar.

In January 2016 Ryanair announced that it would launch a new x4 daily service to London Gatwick in direct competition with EasyJet which has operated the route for over 10 years. They also will establish 6 further routes in October 2016 in an investment worth $300 million and will create 750 jobs. Later on in the year Ryanair announced several more routes, including routes to Berlin and Milan. Ryanair also said they would carry 1.1 million passengers a year out of the airport.

In 2016, the airport is set to hit 5 million passengers.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Belfast International:

Airlines	Destinations
BH Air	Seasonal: Burgas
Bulgaria Air	Seasonal charter: Burgas
easyJet	Alicante, Amsterdam, Birmingham (ends 24 April 2017), Bristol, Edinburgh, Faro, Glasgow-International, Kraków, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Málaga, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Reykjavík-Keflavík Seasonal: Barcelona, Bordeaux, Geneva, Ibiza, Jersey, Lanzarote, Lyon, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Split
Jet2.com	Alicante, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife-South Seasonal: Dubrovnik, Faro, Geneva, Girona (begins 26 May 2017), Ibiza, Málaga, Mahon, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Zakynthos Seasonal charter: Plovdiv, Salzburg, Toulouse
Meridiana	Seasonal charter: Verona
Ryanair	Alicante, Bergamo, Berlin-Schönefeld, Gdańsk (begins 2 November 2016), Kraków (begins 30 October 2016), Lanzarote (begins 31 October 2016), London-Gatwick, Málaga, Tenerife-South (begins 31 October 2016), Warsaw-Modlin (begins 2 November 2016), Wrocław (begins 31 October 2016) Seasonal: Faro (begins 1 June 2017), Girona (begins 27 March 2017)
Thomas Cook Airlines	Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife-South Seasonal: Cancun (begins 28 June 2017), Dalaman, Ibiza (resumes 8 May 2017), Larnaca, Las Vegas, Orlando–International, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Varadero Seasonal charter: Plovdiv (begins 1 January 2017)
Thomson Airways	Seasonal: Burgas, Corfu, Gran Canaria (begins 20 May 2017), Ibiza, Lanzarote, Málaga, Mahon, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Rhodes, Tenerife-South
United Airlines	Newark
Virgin Atlantic	Seasonal: Orlando–International
Wizz Air	Katowice, Vilnius

Cargo

Belfast International Airport has a wide range of cargo operators at the airport, they are currently:

Airlines	Destinations
ASL Airlines Belgium	East Midlands, Liège
Atlantic Airlines	East Midlands
DHL Aviation operated by European Air Transport	East Midlands
Jet2.com	East Midlands
Royal Mail operated by Titan Airways	London-Stansted
Star Air (Maersk)	East Midlands, Edinburgh
FedEx Feeder operated by Swiftair	Birmingham, London-Stansted, Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Traffic and statistics

Traffic figures

In 2007, the airport hit a record of 5.3 million passengers which is the highest in the airport's history. The figure remained static in 2008 but the figure declined sharply in 2009 to 4.5 million and again in 2010 to 4 million. Figures for 2011 indicated a small rise to 4.1 million, while a larger increase then occurred to 4.5 million in 2012, returning the total to 2009 levels. 2013 figures indicated a decrease to 4 million, which was roughly a return to the 2010 figures and the total remained static in 2014, but increased to nearly 4.4 million in 2015. The airport is the busiest in Northern Ireland and the second busiest airport on the island of Ireland, after Dublin Airport. Belfast International was the 12th busiest airport in the UK by passenger traffic in 2015.

	Number of Passengers	Number of Movements	Freight (tonnes)
1997	2,476,834	35,070	24,838
1998	2,671,848	38,976	25,275
1999	3,035,907	44,817	25,773
2000	3,147,670	41,256	30,599
2001	3,618,671	45,706	32,130
2002	3,576,785	38,453	29,474
2003	3,976,703	39,894	29,620
2004	4,407,413	43,373	32,148
2005	4,824,271	47,695	37,878
2006	5,038,692	48,412	38,417
2007	5,272,664	51,085	38,429
2008	5,262,354	55,000	36,115
2009	4,546,475	44,796	29,804
2010	4,016,170	40,324	29,716
2011	4,103,620	57,460	31,062
2012	4,313,685	58,011	29,095
2013	4,023,336	54,003	29,288
2014	4,033,954	50,973	30,073
2015	4,391,307	52,246	30,389

Updated: 30 March 2016

Busiest routes

A United Airlines Boeing 757-200 at Belfast International.

An easyJet Airbus A319 at Belfast International.

Busiest international routes to and from Belfast International Airport (2015)

Rank	Airport	Passengers 2015	Passengers 2014	% Change 2014 / 15
1	Palma, Spain	137,405	140,373	02
2	Málaga, Spain	117,770	116,572	01
3	Alicante, Spain	114,865	113,556	01
4	Faro, Portugal	113,758	115,963	02
5	Amsterdam, Netherlands	101,894	97,381	05
6	Paris Charles de Gaulle, France	77,969	79,820	02
7	Lanzarote, Canary Islands	75,784	57,167	033
8	Tenerife, Canary Islands	75,224	78,903	05
9	Newark, USA	69,258	82,958	017
10	Kraków, Poland	44,157	44,742	01
11	Barcelona, Spain	37,924	42,725	011
12	Reus, Spain	36,304	37,026	02
13	Dalaman, Turkey	31,395	39,386	020
14	Ibiza, Balearic Islands	30,514	30,405	00
15	Keflavik, Iceland	26,133	1,025	02450
16	Geneva, Switzerland	25,552	25,891	01
17	Katowice, Poland	23,155	-	New Route0
18	Vilnius, Lithuania	21,777	-	New Route0
19	Gran Canaria, Canary Islands	20,690	9,105	0127
20	Nice, France	20,081	19,503	03

Busiest domestic routes to and from Belfast International Airport (2015)

Rank	Airport	Passengers 2015	Passengers 2014	% Change 2014 / 15
1	London Gatwick	470 344	434 305	08
2	Liverpool	426 106	418 389	02
3	London Stansted	323 659	306 883	05
4	London Luton	295 292	240 885	023
5	Glasgow International	266 275	241 789	010
6	Edinburgh	262 773	235 552	012
7	Bristol	246 504	230 833	07
8	Manchester	224 497	204 987	010
9	Newcastle	219 499	196 739	012
10	Birmingham	196 202	179 503	09

Transport links

Road

Travellers by car from Belfast reach the airport via the M2 motorway. The airport operates four car parks, three on-site car parks and one off-site car park. The on-site short stay and main car parks are situated within easy walking distance of the terminal building and an on demand courtesy bus operates to and from the on-site long stay car park. The off-site short or long stay car park called 'Park and Fly' is located just before the main entrance to the airport and is also serviced by a courtesy bus.

Bus

Translink operates a number 300 express bus service to the airport from their Europa Buscentre, in the centre of Belfast operating daily from 04.15 until 23.30hrs. The airport can be reached from Derry and the northwest by the Airporter.

Train

The nearest railway station is Antrim railway station, 10 km (6.2 mi) from the airport in Antrim and serviced by a bus link, the Antrim Airlink (109A). There are connections to Belfast, Lisburn and Derry. Trains to and from Dublin are via Belfast Central railway station. A new station serving the airport could 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. It has also been listed in a public review of the future of Northern Ireland railways, which would see the airport being served by train by the year 2020.

Accidents and incidents

• On 24 March 1996, Vickers Viscount G-OPFE of British World Airways was damaged beyond economic repair when it made a wheels-up landing.
• On 23 December 1997, a Maersk Air Boeing 737 aircraft operated by British Airways and with 63 passengers and 6 crew on board was forced to return to the airport after a major failure in the starboard engine. The pilot declared an emergency and the aircraft returned to the airport safely on one engine. It was later found that an engine seal had failed, causing catastrophic engine failure and slight damage to the engine cowling and under-wing surface. The subsequent investigation uncovered design and manufacturing defects with the seals and led to the incorporation of new design seals in all future engines.
• On 31 October 2010, a bomb was found inside a Toyota Carina parked in the long-stay car park and Army bomb disposal experts dismantled it. It is believed that the car and bomb had been in the car park since 2009. It was only discovered when workers were getting ready to tow the vehicle out of the car park. Many passengers had to spend the night in hotels or arrange alternative transport as they were unable to get to their cars.

References

External links

Media related to Belfast International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website