I can understand the demand for these flights in relation to foreign home-owners, and certainly there are beautiful regions in Spain to holiday in. It is a coup for the NW.
However to compare Northern Ireland as a whole to similar sized mainland airports, what I was trying to get at, was our lack of choice. Mulitple flights to the Costa's, yet complete lack of a decent Greek programme, no direct Egypt flights, no Malta etc etc. All destinations served by similar sized UK airports. Besides the foreign home-owners, why can't the Northern Irish be a bit more daring with their holiday choice, to allow other destinations to be feasible.
That was the huge let down when FR entered the Belfast market. Will we get exciting new destinations??? No, just more flights to already well served markets, on an already decent carrier, with already decent realistic fares, from an airport 25 minutes from the other. To be honest, i'm very sceptical about what FR will offer should BHD get the runway extension. Will it be yet more flights to Paris (Beauvais), Barcelona (Girona), Rome. If so, really whats the point. We're already well connected. All it will do is lower prices in a fare war and one carrier will exit that market. It happened with Jet2 Prague, Jet2 Barcelona.