BELFAST AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Check out Belfast International Airport's Master Plan - you'll get it on their web site under 'about us'.
Airport Master Plan - Belfast International Airport
Complete with photo of a Zoom 767 landing...
They'd need a 60% increase in passengers in the next 10 months to hit their 2015 forecast of 6.9 million, so I really wouldn't put too much faith in that document.
The Belfast International website shows everything that is wrong with how the airport is manged; out-of-date, vague and more concerned with nickel-and-diming people for parking than actually developing an airport.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Ballymena
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With our 2 airport policy, if BHD keep chipping away at BFS traffic to the point where BFS state that it is no longer viable for them, what happens then? I am thinking about the routes that could not be served from BHD due to the runway. I know they are both private enterprises, but unless they make a good profit, at some point time will be called.
On another point, arrived on Saturday night at Bfs about 10.30 p m, it was raining heavily. That part of the roof that extends from the arrivals door out towards the car park, was leaking heavily. In fact, it might as well not have been there at all. It has been like that for years and is a disgrace. Does management at Bfs not see what I see with regard to that part of the roof? If it is not going to be repaired and soon, they would be better taking it away as I have already said, it is a disgrace.
TB
On another point, arrived on Saturday night at Bfs about 10.30 p m, it was raining heavily. That part of the roof that extends from the arrivals door out towards the car park, was leaking heavily. In fact, it might as well not have been there at all. It has been like that for years and is a disgrace. Does management at Bfs not see what I see with regard to that part of the roof? If it is not going to be repaired and soon, they would be better taking it away as I have already said, it is a disgrace.
TB
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Northern Ireland
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Yeah I don't really see how we can sustain 2 airports in such a small population. The number of new routes to important destinations being launched by Belfast city airport is worrying.
Would prefer a Heathrow route from Belfast international airport.
Would prefer a Heathrow route from Belfast international airport.
Join Date: Dec 2010
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airport66
What new routes has Bhd introduced.The routes they have brought in this year already exist from Belfast,what new route have they ever brought in to the Belfast /Northern Ireland market.
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Antrim
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And of course closing an airport will suddenly result in scores of new routes? Routes are based on demand, perceived profitability and completive landing charges. Closing an airport won't help that. If anything it will probably make it more difficult to attract airlines. Both airports are growing, BHD has brought AMS and the connections available through KLM, so although not a new destination its potential is huge, also its one less reason to fly from DUB, which our economy needs.
Join Date: Feb 2015
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One airport serving Belfast would mean that the management could aggressively attract airlines without the fear of upsetting existing carriers. One Belfast airport would be about one third the size of Dublin. All infrastructure could be directed to the one airport and it could slowly chip away at the loss of traffic to Dublin.
Maybe EI are playing games up here, keeping Dublin the major player while the 2 Belfast airports fight it out.
Maybe EI are playing games up here, keeping Dublin the major player while the 2 Belfast airports fight it out.
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I really don't see how attracting new carriers suddenly wouldn't upset existing ones. For instance - if BFS brought FR in and they started competing on say STN against EZY then EZY would most likely be upset. Totally different story when they arrived at BHD, nothing they can do but compete - the very thing that drives trade. Also the whole argument about shutting one airport is flawed - how are you going to achieve that when both are in profitable growth? Force one of them to close by government intervention? Really? Catch yourselves on - its not likely to happen.
Join Date: Feb 2015
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Who said anything about shutting airports? If Belfast had one airport from day dot, I think there would be more airlines, more routes and thus it would be better for the consumer. If FR came in on STN at BHD I either have to choose EZY from BFS of FR from BHD, I can't conveniently use both, one out a different back - real competition (works when travel originates at GB end of course).
So all I am saying is the winner out of the situation currently isn't BHD or BFS but DUB.
So all I am saying is the winner out of the situation currently isn't BHD or BFS but DUB.
Join Date: Oct 2007
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One big airport is pure, naive fantasy. There is a substantial freight operation at BFS that cannot be catered for at BHD and a requirement for a 24/7 operation that also cannot be addressed there.
BHD is niche and successful. It therefore suffers from delusions of grandeur.
BFS is big, 24/7 but older and treading water due to lack of investment both on site and infrastructure needed to support it (road, rail etc). It is also strangled by misconception in that it is somehow distantly removed from our population despite being quicker to access from central Belfast than Heathrow is from London by tube etc.
It's about time our esteemed leaders on the hill pulled their fingers out and came up with a sensible transport strategy encompassing both. Left unchecked, both airports will resort to short-termism. A classic example being the BHD flirtation with Ryanair which was fundamentally flawed from the outset both operationally and strategically but served only to poke BFS in the eye temporarily. The KLM announcement is much smarter in terms of providing connection capability.
There is plenty of scope for both if they both stick to what they're good at.
BHD is niche and successful. It therefore suffers from delusions of grandeur.
BFS is big, 24/7 but older and treading water due to lack of investment both on site and infrastructure needed to support it (road, rail etc). It is also strangled by misconception in that it is somehow distantly removed from our population despite being quicker to access from central Belfast than Heathrow is from London by tube etc.
It's about time our esteemed leaders on the hill pulled their fingers out and came up with a sensible transport strategy encompassing both. Left unchecked, both airports will resort to short-termism. A classic example being the BHD flirtation with Ryanair which was fundamentally flawed from the outset both operationally and strategically but served only to poke BFS in the eye temporarily. The KLM announcement is much smarter in terms of providing connection capability.
There is plenty of scope for both if they both stick to what they're good at.
Join Date: Nov 2011
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Exactly huskyone. I know its a simplistic viewpoint but I look at it like this;
BFS is a low cost carrier airport, EZY, charter etc.
BHD is business and full service driven.
Always going to be crossovers. I believe the biggest gift our politicians could give all 3 NI airports would be a total scrapping of APD. Additionally both Belfast airports would benefit massively from direct trains, and their own stations as opposed to having to mess about getting connecting buses.
BFS is a low cost carrier airport, EZY, charter etc.
BHD is business and full service driven.
Always going to be crossovers. I believe the biggest gift our politicians could give all 3 NI airports would be a total scrapping of APD. Additionally both Belfast airports would benefit massively from direct trains, and their own stations as opposed to having to mess about getting connecting buses.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
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i
BFS is robust financially, it also had growth last year. It has good new routes planned this year.
BHD is not chipping at BFS away of late. BFS saw growth last year, as did BHD but it was negligible for each, total growth only amounting to over 1000 passengers. But still growth is growth. The split in annual passengers between the airports is 60:40.
BHD discount heavily, and EI are despite any good deal they may be getting are effectively tied in to BHD if they want to keep a Belfast base going. Thanks to a court case that is coming any bargaining power that they may have had with BHD in my view will be gone. So sustainable fees for BHD can be charged.
The City will launch Vueling to BCN and KL to AMS. AMS will not impact easyJet to any great extent. And BCN is x3 weekly. Routes recently launched like LCY are driving greater benefits than either of those will bring, equally LPL will steady up to be a nice little sum of passengers. EI to LGW had a disappointing month in Jan, LHR figures overall, were not great, yet LCY maintained its volume of pax.....
f BHD keep chipping away at BFS traffic to the point where BFS state that it is no longer viable for them, what happens then? I am thinking about the routes that could not be served from BHD due to the runway. I know they are both private enterprises, but unless they make a good profit, at some point time will be called.
BHD is not chipping at BFS away of late. BFS saw growth last year, as did BHD but it was negligible for each, total growth only amounting to over 1000 passengers. But still growth is growth. The split in annual passengers between the airports is 60:40.
BHD discount heavily, and EI are despite any good deal they may be getting are effectively tied in to BHD if they want to keep a Belfast base going. Thanks to a court case that is coming any bargaining power that they may have had with BHD in my view will be gone. So sustainable fees for BHD can be charged.
The City will launch Vueling to BCN and KL to AMS. AMS will not impact easyJet to any great extent. And BCN is x3 weekly. Routes recently launched like LCY are driving greater benefits than either of those will bring, equally LPL will steady up to be a nice little sum of passengers. EI to LGW had a disappointing month in Jan, LHR figures overall, were not great, yet LCY maintained its volume of pax.....
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Did EI have a bad month on LGW? BE were still on the route at this point 12 months ago and the figures EI produced are well over 50% of what both airlines did last year, at heavily discounted fares.
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Mart01,
Ei had a steady 20-24k pax per month on LGW since BE axed the route. Obviously we couldn't see a January statistic for EI alone hitherto, nonetheless BE grew their new LCY route since it launched and Jan was no exception. Ei did 15k pax on LGW , BE did 7700 approx on LCY.
For a 320 the numbers are soft. I'd been on a few last flights back from LGW and for jan they were packed. I imagine the variances in the different rotations were significant.
On the plus side the low winter spell is now behind us and strong numbers shall return ...
Ei had a steady 20-24k pax per month on LGW since BE axed the route. Obviously we couldn't see a January statistic for EI alone hitherto, nonetheless BE grew their new LCY route since it launched and Jan was no exception. Ei did 15k pax on LGW , BE did 7700 approx on LCY.
For a 320 the numbers are soft. I'd been on a few last flights back from LGW and for jan they were packed. I imagine the variances in the different rotations were significant.
On the plus side the low winter spell is now behind us and strong numbers shall return ...
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Did i read somewhere that the viewing gallery at BFS is to reopen?
Not sure what we're going to 'view' from it, though, except a sea of orange.
Unless the New Management take a new tack of letting people know when oddities like the An-124 or one-off charters are coming-in, instead of posting a Facebook photo two days after the event...