BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - BFS (Aldergrove)

[tigger2k8]

I would say with the return of LTN and MAN starting, lesser volcanic ash problems.., we could see an increase of around 250,000* this year, unless anything extra happens this year.. but yes 2012 should be an extremely good year compared to the last 3..

I see BBC NI is reporting the CO story again..

BBC News - New York route is 'loss making' due to passenger tax

Lets hope something is done quickly, once summer is over and if nothing is announced to change.. i honestly cant see CO hanging around much longer..

*forgot LTN only returned in May

[Aaron9890]

BFS

Does anyone know when all this is happening???

2006-2015
Extension of check-in hall DONE
Extension and reconfiguration of domestic baggage reclaim
Construction of a new South Pier including departure lounges
Extension of West Pier ( really want to know when these are done because it could mean more room and more flights perhaps ^)
Construction of multi-storey car park and high level link to terminal
Expansion of cargo/freight handling facilities located on western boundaries

Thanks

Aaron9890

[ILS25]

All part of the master plan before the banking crisis and current recession. Certainly won't be done now or in the near future. Slap a new coat of paint on and make do is they only way forward at the minute I'm afraid. New stud walls and suspended ceilings can make any building look 'fresh', but the ageing and creaking infrastructure underneath is still the same. As long as the current spanish owners are at the wheel, nothing is going to change.

[Aaron9890]

As long as the current spanish owners are at the wheel, nothing is going to change.

I was thinking the same thing :L

I see there is a flight from Sanford Orlando due in this morning at 7. I thought the Orlando flights didn't start until 7th of July or something. Would be interested in seeing it fly in as it has to be a big aircraft, however don't think i would be down that early especially as its due for 6:35

Thanks,

Aaron9890

[tigger2k8]

If it wasnt for 25/07 needing a very expensive resuurfacing we might have seen the new pier quicker than expected.. after the catering renovations are finished id say thats going to be the last big improvement for awhile. Last i heard it wont be looked at (not starting to build..) again until atleast 2013, which probably means 2015 before its even considered to be built. I'd say we will see a similar covered passenger walkway that LTN has for stand 60/61 for stands 13,14 and 15.

That flight from orlando is a positioner.. i think, well usually the P after the TCX and flight number means that. More than likely dropping off empty ULDs as there are none in BFS for TCX as far was I know.

[Aaron9890]

Tcx - bfs

Last year i went to REUS airport on my holidays around the same time as today, i checked the route which was departing today and noticed they used a B757. This is good news as last year it was only an A321. So this shows some increase in passengers. I know it doesn't reflect PAX as a whole but its a start and an improvement

[david1994]

Last year i went to REUS airport on my holidays around the same time as today, i checked the route which was departing today and noticed they used a B757. This is good news as last year it was only an A321. So this shows some increase in passengers. I know it doesn't reflect PAX as a whole but its a start and an improvement

BFS-REU-BFS was done by an A321-200 G-NIKO today, flightstats always says a 752 for some reason.

[Aaron9890]

are you sure???

i saw it fly by my house as well. at about 3:40
definatly looked like a B752

[david1994]

are you sure???

i saw it fly by my house as well. at about 3:40
definatly looked like a B752

Positive it was G-NIKO (A321-200) Arrived onto stand 21, 19 miuntes ahead of schedule.

[Aaron9890]

Positive it was G-NIKO (A321-200) Arrived onto stand 21, 19 miuntes ahead of schedule.

Thanks. You must be right the flight tracker system always has it as a B752. It has said that the B752 will be operating to Antalya tomorrow. This means it will be the A321 then :L

[david1994]

Thanks. You must be right the flight tracker system always has it as a B752. It has said that the B752 will be operating to Antalya tomorrow. This means it will be the A321 then :L

There is no Antalya flight tomorrow its Dalaman (A321), Bodrum (A321) and Mahon (B752)

[jabird]

OK, so CO complain about taxes again. They have a fair point, DUB is much cheaper.

But govt is under heavy pressure from the green lobby to tax aviation to death, and Cameron personally wants to be seen as green.

However much CO bitch, APD is a one-way issue - fly BFS/BHD to LON and you pay twice.

There are (and won't be) any trains from BFS* to England or Scotland - so any arguments saying people shouldn't fly just don't wash.

Yet the government can't be seen to be giving yet more subsidy to Northern Ireland.

Solve for x?

*(why didn't IATA have a generic Belfast code - ok, the Brazilians have nicked BEL?)

[mutleyshriek]

Bfs is the generic code for Belfast.Just as Lon and Par for any airport in either London or Paris.Same for New York,Nyc.Any ticket that gets printed for travel from both airports will read Bfs Ei Lon Ei Bfs or Bfs Bd Lon Bd Bfs.Thats the IATA designated code for the city of Belfast.

[eastern wiseguy]

Solve for x?

Government subsidies for NI are being cut in line with the rest of the country. There is a general agreement that there should be a somewhat more level playing field in terms of taxation across the island of Ireland as a whole. Remember that the UK government have handed the Republic a huge loan over and above what it(ROI) received from Europe. They promptly reduced their APD and that has disadvantaged three UK airports.

The NI government recognises that inward investment depends ,to a degree,upon good airlinks to the rest of the world and it is with that in mind that this issue was raised with George Osborne on his last visit here.

If there IS any movement centrally I suspect that it will be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

That however is what the politico's are tasked with doing.

I shan't hold my breath.

[jabird]

Mutley,

My point was that in database terms, BFS needs disambiguation. In consumer terms, BFS is confusing. LON, PAR, MIL etc are generic - ie they apply to the city as a whole. They don't represent individual airports. BFS can mean Belfast (either) or Belfast (Int). That is satisfactory in an industry that relies on precision.

In most cases, the 'confusion' isn't that much of a problem - eg GLA would easily be understood as meaning Glasgow Airport, not Prestwick as Prestwick is smaller and much further away. But in the case of BFS and perhaps also GOT, the smaller airport is much closer to the city centre.

[j636]

Do people not think that BFS airport management are at fault as well and not just the tax.

LDY - increased traffic year to date.
BHO - Ryanair pull out had an effect
BFS - Decline contuines as all you have in UK and Hoilday flights.

The tax in ROI may be back by the year ends.

There are no Incentive Schemes on offer to airlines from BFS at all. DUB have Short-Haul, Long-Haul, Transfer Passengers and Grwoth Incentive-(2011-13)

If passengers at DUB are higher than 18.431 million this year then all airlines who grew there traffic will have all passenger service charges after 18.431 refunded to them be DAA in 2012. With passengers expected to be in the region of 19.9million a lot of airlines will benefit.

[jabird]

Eastern,

Flights in the Scottish Highlands aren't subject to APD, and obviously lots of PSOs to.

I have seen some of the debates re: N Ireland APD - and maybe there is a case to cut it. Cutting a tax would be more palatable than providing a subsidy even if the effect on govt coffers would be similar.

Or Osbourne could demand that the Irish govt brings their air tax back up (highly unlikely)

[j636]

Or Osbourne could demand that the Irish govt brings their air tax back up (highly unlikely)

Although that can't happon. Once the Irish Gov meet the EU requirments they are happy and it dosn't matter how they do once they do.

If they had to bring it back to €10. CO would still leave BFS and other airlines would still operate from DUB before BFS.

Although when ROI had €10 tax all flights within Ireland had a reduced rate of €2 if not €3, which should be applied across the UK and not just NI - UK flights.

[en2r]

Although when ROI had €10 tax all flights within Ireland had a reduced rate of €2 if not €3, which should be applied across the UK and not just NI - UK flights.

It was €2 for all flights of less than 300 kilometres. However the EU weren't happy with this (I think they threatened to bring Ireland to court over it) as they said it was discriminatory - they said that you should have one common charge for flying from any Irish airport to any EU airport (whether in Ireland or elsewhere). As a result, the Irish government introduced a standard €3 charge for all flights (which is now being abolished).

[jabird]

However the EU weren't happy with this (I think they threatened to bring Ireland to court over it) as they said it was discriminatory

So they are happy with APD being charged twice on a UK domestic flight, because that is the UK government discriminating against itself?