Angry Rebel, it's the bleedin obvious. Belfast is part of Ireland but it's also part of the UK, like Cork was up until 88 years ago..
There's no chance that Belfast City airport will surpass Cork in 2010. It's too far behind in pax numbers. Cork's new terminal is far superior and of course it has a longer runway to facilitate traffic, (though it should be extended
)
The Republic's economy though at a low, has technically pulled out of recession in the last quarter, whilst Britain is still in recession. The Northern Ireland economy is a hybrid dependent on both the British and Irish economies as it is far too small to cope on its own.