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Belfast Airport
Airport Directory » United Kingdom » Belfast » Belfast AirportBelfast International Airport (IATA: BFS, ICAO: EGAA) (Irish: Aerfort Idirnáisiúnta Bhéal Feirste) is an airport turn up 11.5 NM (21.3 kilometre; 13.2 mi) northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It is also known as Aldergrove, after the small town of that name lying directly to the due west of the airport. Belfast International percentages its landing track with the Royal Air Force ground RAF Aldergrove, which otherwise has its own installations.
Nearly 5.3 million riders (2.2% of riders at all UK airports) moved through the airport in 2008, a 1.7 million (47.1%) increase since 2002. Belfast International is the second busiest airport in Ireland in terms of rider figure, after Dublin Airport and it is the busiest airport in the district of Ulster. It is the bigger of 2 airports in Belfast (the other being George Best Belfast City Airport).
The airport is owned by Abertis, the same corporation which owns Stockholm Skavsta, Cardiff Airport and is concessionary to Orlando Sanford International Airport and London Luton.
Belfast International has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P798) that lets voyages for the public transport of riders or for winging direction. The airport functions 24 60 minutes a solar day, 365 solar days a yr and is not theme to noise abatement processes, eminent environmental restraints or air space limitations.
History
1917-1945
The location for the airport was constituted in 1917 when it was pick out to be a Royal Flying Corps grooming organization during the First World War. The airport stay open at the finish of the conflict for RAF action.
Civil traffic set about in 1922 when voyages were dealt winging papers from Chester, although it was not until 1933 that a regular, keep up polite air service set about. The voyage was to Glasgow and was functioned by Midland and Scottish Air Ferries. This was afterwards augmented by voyages to the Isle of Man, Liverpool and Croydon, then London’s airport.
During the Second World War, Aldergrove stay an RAF ground especially for the Coastal Command. So that the airport is able to adapt bigger, long-range aircraft, a major works program was attempted to replace the 4 being landing track with 2 new long paved landing track, thereby characteristic the base of the layout that still is at the airport currently.
1946-1970
One of the terminations of the wartime field building program was the construction of Nutts Corner Airport, merely 3 mi (4.8 kilometre) from Aldergrove. On one December 1946, the new location replaced Belfast Harbour Airport (currently George Best Belfast City Airport) as Northern Ireland’s polite airport, as the location at Sydenham was see unsuitable.
By the 1950s polite air traffic had surpassed the installations at Nutts Corner and, in addition, aircraft were being on a regular basis deviate to Aldergrove because of adverse weather condition. In July 1959 the determination was do to go polite voyages to Aldergrove to capitalize of the big field and this took location in October 1963.
A new depot and apron were made with the necessary rider installations and the complex was opened by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother on 28 October 1963. In 1966 the 1st regular jet plane service to Gatwick set about and in 1968 Aer Lingus and BOAC introduced scheduled services to New York City via Shannon and Prestwick severally.
1971-1997
In 1971 Northern Ireland Airports Limited was characteristic to function and germinate the airport and its installations. A major program of field upgrades was set about ensuing in improvements to landing track, taxi strip and the parkland apron.
A new International Pier was made together with lounge installations and auto parklands, while an additional apron was supplied to separate the little civil aviation aircraft from big commercial jet plane. In the meanwhile, British Airways established the 1st Belfast to Heathrow shuttle service, and the 1st Boeing 747 functioned from the airport on a charter service to Toronto via Shannon. The 1st scheduled service to a European town was set about by NLM Cityhopper (currently KLM Cityhopper) winging to Amsterdam.
In 1983 the airport, renamed Belfast International, was on a regular basis adapting the biggest polite aircraft in service, and with the installing of new engineering was capable of all weather condition functioning. In 1985 rider figure attained 1.5 million and BMI went into competition with British Airways on the Heathrow service. Further developments to the depot take place throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. A new Executive Aviation Terminal was opened in 1987 and the new load center opened in 1991.
The airport was privatized in 1994. TBI got the new possessors of the airport on 13 August 1996, by which clip one-year rider figure had hit 2.5 million.
1998 to date
In 1998 EasyJet set about functioning from the airport with voyages to London Luton. Since then the air hose has constituted a big ground at Belfast International and a further 8 domestic paths and 11 direct European scheduled paths have been added to the web, doing the air hose the biggest user of the airport.
In 2005 Continental Airlines established the 1st of all time direct scheduled service to Newark, and direct scheduled services were afterwards presented to Vancouver with Zoom Airlines but have currently stopped coming after the bearer's demise in August 2008.
In December 2007 Aer Lingus opened a ground at Belfast International, its 3rd hub (and 1st outside the Republic of Ireland). By March 2008 three Airbus A320 aircraft were found at the airport assisting 9 Aer Lingus paths from Belfast, and the air hose has reconstructed the link up between Belfast International and London Heathrow Airport which was abandoned by British Airways.
Despite these additional voyages, riders at Belfast International did not come up beyond 6 million in 2008 as some had called but in fact fell by 10,000 riders to 5.2 million.
Work has set out within the airport to travel the 'Central Search' area from it's current place to a little grassy area next to the inclines that take riders from check-in to the food judicature area before the current Central Search. This is division of a larger programme to increase the area for the International Lounge.
Services
There are 48 scheduled destinations assisted from the airport, with 16 domestic services and 32 European and transatlantic services. Transatlantic voyages include Newark and Orlando in the United States and Hamilton in Canada. There are charter and inclusive tour voyages to Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, the United States and many European destinations.
The airport is a hub for easyJet and Jet2.com, and Aer Lingus with other air hose including bmibaby, First Choice Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines also having a big presence. In December 2007, Aer Lingus opened a ground at the airport, and currently function to a mixture of European destinations.
Domestic voyages
Due to Northern Ireland's relative isolation to the balance of the United Kingdom, approximately 2 in 5 voyages from the airport are fated for England, Scotland or Wales. EasyJet, the airport's biggest operator, wings to 7 UK towns, each assisted between 3 and 6 clips daily. Bmibaby wing to 4 UK destinations, Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands and Cardiff. Jet2.com has 2 paths to the UK, Leeds-Bradford and Blackpool, and will set about voyages to Newquay and Jersey in 2009. Manx2.com wings up to twice daily to the Isle of Man. Aer Lingus vivified direct voyages from the airport to London Heathrow in January 2008. Although initial rider figure for this voyage appeared to be low, Aer Lingus denoted that more than 250,000 mortals moved on the path in the 1st yr of functioning. They also added that they cover 40% of the Belfast-Heathrow Market in the last twelve calendar month.
International voyages
EasyJet is the biggest air hose at Belfast International, with services to 11 destinations in Europe (outside the UK) from Belfast. Jet2.com also function voyages to destinations such as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Minorca, Dubrovnik and Málaga. Aer Lingus also assists several European destinations from Belfast International.
Continental Airlines function daily scheduled voyages to Newark year-around. Other transatlantic voyages are functioned by Flyglobespan, Air Transat and Thomas Cook Airlines during the summertime season.
Statistics
Nearly 5.3 million riders used Belfast International in 2007, the highest aggregative in the airport's history, with aggregative rider figure staying comparatively electrostatic during 2008. The airport is the busiest in Northern Ireland, having see steady growing in rider figure, aircraft motions and cargo throughput over the last decennium. Since 1997 rider figure have increased by an mean of 10.2% each year.
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| Rank | Airport | Passengers dealt in 2008 | Passengers dealt in 2007 | Percentage Change | Airlines Served (2008) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | Málaga Airport | 187,529 | 134,011 | ▲ 40% | Aer Lingus, easyJet, First Choice, Jet2.com, Spanair, Thomas Cook |
| Two | Palma de Mallorca Airport | 150,828 | 144,313 | ▲ 5% | Air Europa, easyJet, First Choice, Jet2.com, Thomas Cook |
| Three | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | 138,669 | 95,185 | ▲ 46% | Aer Lingus, easyJet |
| Four | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport | 128,537 | 92,582 | ▲ 39% | Aer Lingus, easyJet |
| Five | Faro Airport | 128,091 | 75,307 | ▲ 70% | Aer Lingus, bmi, easyJet, First Choice, Thomas Cook |
| Six | Barcelona Airport | 122,121 | 62,649 | ▲ 95% | Aer Lingus, easyJet |
| Seven | Newark Liberty International Airport | 99,714 | 103,628 | ▼ 4% | Continental Airlines |
| Eight | Alicante Airport | 97,098 | 94,656 | ▲ 3% | bmi, easyJet, First Choice, Spanair, Thomas Cook |
| Nine | Tenerife South Airport | 93,725 | 74,935 | ▲ 25% | BMI, First Choice, Jet2.com Spanair, Thomas Cook |
| Ten | Lanzarote Airport (Arrecife) | 66,545 | 65,372 | ▲ 2% | Aer Lingus, bmi, First Choice,Futura , Spanair, Thomas Cook,XL Airways |
| 11 | Prague (Ruzyně Airport) | 57,838 | 60,526 | ▼ 4% | easyJet, Jet2.com |
| Twelve | Nice Airport | 54,783 | 32,182 | ▲ 70% | Aer Lingus, easyJet |
| 13 | Krakow Airport | 50,783 | 29,093 | ▲ 75% | easyJet |
| 14 | Dalaman Airport | 45,545 | 39,674 | ▲ 15% | Onur Air |
| 15 | Murcia Airport | 44,132 | 48,077 | ▼ 8% | Jet2.com |
Original article.