New Belfast airport terminal opens
A new £21m terminal at Belfast City Airport opened its doors to passengers today.
The two storey building at Sydenham in east Belfast now has facilities to rival other regional airports throughout the world.
The first people to enjoy the new services were passengers on the British European Airways 08.40 flight to Gatwick.
They were met with state-of-the-art arrivals and departure areas, 20 check-in desks, fast track business facilities and executive boarding lounges.
The terminal also boasts a viewing gallery, business and conference facilities, bars and restaurants, retail outlets and long and short stay parking.
Management say the 100,000sq ft building, which replaces the old terminal a few hundred metres away, reflects the fact that traffic in and out of the airport has increased by 15-fold since it was re-opened for civil air traffic in 1983.
Almost half of all scheduled domestic air traffic now passes through Belfast City Airport, accounting for around 1.3 million passengers per year. At present, the airport serves 17 daily destinations throughout Great Britain.
With the airport just minutes from the city centre, there are plans to integrate the terminal with the nearby railway network to make it more convenient for business travellers.
The airport is situated on the shores of Belfast Lough close to heavily populated east Belfast, and operates under strict environmental guidelines and has a self-imposed night-time curfew.
Back in 1993 it became the first airport in Northern Ireland to establish a consultative committee with the local community.
The Belfast City Airport Forum brings together representatives from local authorities and residents’ groups and meets regularly with airport management to discuss areas of mutual concern.
It has also worked closely with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to preserve close-by mudflats.
