Belfast International-2
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Excellent interview Radio Ulster News tonight with Simon Caulder re Norwegian. Even he hinted at them operating from BHD. Before the slagging and knocking listen to his interview. Probably most sensible input into the Aviation scene in NI in many a year.
Join Date: Aug 2004
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My understanding from a senior Norwegian employee was that Dublin was more attractive for NI passengers given pre-clearance and more flights - not that it was specifically targeting NI passengers to fly from Dublin.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
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Margins/yield on Belfast - US routes soft at best.
So if we are to believe what we read somehow BHD can now handle a 737M with a range of 7 hours?
The demand ex BFS was insignificant but somehow from BHD it will be better?
So if we are to believe what we read somehow BHD can now handle a 737M with a range of 7 hours?
The demand ex BFS was insignificant but somehow from BHD it will be better?
Join Date: Aug 2010
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Painfully embarrassing but not unsurprisingly given what we see from other senior people in NI. The truth of the matter is, Belfast does not need two airports, and as long as it has two, it will never become a major airport. All the feeder traffic in their small aircrafts go into BHD, whilst the aircraft that could do potentially longer distance flights would be based at BFS. But who wants to drive through Antrim in the Summer with all the EDL type paraphernalia around? If we had an unlimited budget, close the two airports down, give over BHD land to developers, and BFS back to the army and create a new airport capable of maybe 10-12 million, and a couple of longer routes. And improve the rail links to Dublin airport so that those in Belfast could be experiencing the wide variety of routes out of DUB within an hour and a half of departing Belfast Central Station. An Island the size of Ireland only needs one large airport, and its obviously going to be located at the economic and international heart of it.
Join Date: Dec 2014
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Think in all honesty there is good North America demand from NI. Otherwise, why would Dublin be advertising so much about US flights in Northern media??
’Norwegian Air’ flying irregularly over the pond from Belfast to somewhere in upstate New York was always a hard sell, especially when there are so many known ways to get there. Rumoured more than Belfast and Edinburgh are a challenge on the transatlantic network, even with low fuel costs. Likely the big problem for Belfast, maybe even Shannon and Cork, is getting enough of the US visitor market, when everything is sold to Ireland citing Dublin as the arrival point.
Maybe the easiest way to go is get rid of air tax and grow a bigger range of European routes?
’Norwegian Air’ flying irregularly over the pond from Belfast to somewhere in upstate New York was always a hard sell, especially when there are so many known ways to get there. Rumoured more than Belfast and Edinburgh are a challenge on the transatlantic network, even with low fuel costs. Likely the big problem for Belfast, maybe even Shannon and Cork, is getting enough of the US visitor market, when everything is sold to Ireland citing Dublin as the arrival point.
Maybe the easiest way to go is get rid of air tax and grow a bigger range of European routes?
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Think in all honesty there is good North America demand from NI. Otherwise, why would Dublin be advertising so much about US flights in Northern media??
’Norwegian Air’ flying irregularly over the pond from Belfast to somewhere in upstate New York was always a hard sell, especially when there are so many known ways to get there. Rumoured more than Belfast and Edinburgh are a challenge on the transatlantic network, even with low fuel costs. Likely the big problem for Belfast, maybe even Shannon and Cork, is getting enough of the US visitor market, when everything is sold to Ireland citing Dublin as the arrival point.
Maybe the easiest way to go is get rid of air tax and grow a bigger range of European routes?
’Norwegian Air’ flying irregularly over the pond from Belfast to somewhere in upstate New York was always a hard sell, especially when there are so many known ways to get there. Rumoured more than Belfast and Edinburgh are a challenge on the transatlantic network, even with low fuel costs. Likely the big problem for Belfast, maybe even Shannon and Cork, is getting enough of the US visitor market, when everything is sold to Ireland citing Dublin as the arrival point.
Maybe the easiest way to go is get rid of air tax and grow a bigger range of European routes?
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Northern Ireland
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I think the problem is Americans. Americans are more interested in the O Irish situation rather than Northern Ireland. So they’re going to fly into and out of Dublin. .
What we had a few years ago with United is the best we can hope for, with another legacy airline (on the 737 Max).
Belfast needs to be made attractive to fly out of.
1. Extend the Dual Carriageway down from Antrim to the airport. Nothing is as bad as driving on a single track road through a council estate to get to the airport.
2. Add buses to areas other than Belfast.
3. Open a train station, with routes to Belfast and Derry/Londonderry, Coleraine, Ballymena, Bangor etc.
4. Upgrade the whole airport. Expand the passenger terminal, including the security and the eateries, bring in more than one jet bridge. Belfast’s terminal is well past it’s sell by date.
What we had a few years ago with United is the best we can hope for, with another legacy airline (on the 737 Max).
Belfast needs to be made attractive to fly out of.
1. Extend the Dual Carriageway down from Antrim to the airport. Nothing is as bad as driving on a single track road through a council estate to get to the airport.
2. Add buses to areas other than Belfast.
3. Open a train station, with routes to Belfast and Derry/Londonderry, Coleraine, Ballymena, Bangor etc.
4. Upgrade the whole airport. Expand the passenger terminal, including the security and the eateries, bring in more than one jet bridge. Belfast’s terminal is well past it’s sell by date.
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This would be such a straigtforward piece of infrastructure I really don't understand why it hasn't been done. There was a three mile branch line from Aldergrove station to the airfield until 1918, yet a century later we have nothing...
Join Date: Jun 2016
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Maybe because it's hard to get locals to use public transport. They will sit for hours in a jam and blame others for using it while a 10 min delay on a train is "Nolan" material.
Join Date: Jun 2016
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So Belfast, lisburn , and then Knockmore and the run up the hill through all the wee villages to a spur that is long gone
You can't send it By Bleach green.
Thousands would be jumping on that train .
You can't send it By Bleach green.
Thousands would be jumping on that train .
Join Date: Apr 2010
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This is a harsh reality check.
If a low cost airline with rock bottom introductory offer prices can't make a go of it, it just ain't going to happen.
Northern Ireland just isn't a big enough or important enough place to sustain regular flights to the US, other than House of Mouse flights for the school summer holidays.
If a place like Birmingham can't sustain regular flights to the USA, what hope NI? The West Midlands has a million more people in it than the entire population of NI.
Most air passengers in NI are flying to GB - the rest to the med. That's it really - that's what people want.
If a low cost airline with rock bottom introductory offer prices can't make a go of it, it just ain't going to happen.
Northern Ireland just isn't a big enough or important enough place to sustain regular flights to the US, other than House of Mouse flights for the school summer holidays.
If a place like Birmingham can't sustain regular flights to the USA, what hope NI? The West Midlands has a million more people in it than the entire population of NI.
Most air passengers in NI are flying to GB - the rest to the med. That's it really - that's what people want.
Join Date: May 2011
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Just catching up on this now, that statement is really something else, one can only assume that BIA don't ever anticipate doing business with Norwegian again in any form. Problem is, what if someone within Norwegian subsequently moves to another airline that BIA are trying to do a deal with? Not sure what the protocol is then, do airline managers have long memories? Maybe MOL was up at Aldergrove that day and drafted the statement for them?
As far as the rail line goes, the ultimate question is who pays for it? If its Translink they will want a return on their cash within a relatively short time frame, not spending millions to maybe recoup a profit in 50 years! I remember Harbour wanted to move the Sydenham halt after they moved their terminal and it just wasn't viable. That was moving a halt by half a mile, not starting a new line from scratch along with all the headaches that is going to bring. Don't think it'll happen in my lifetime and the longer its left the harder it will be to actually do.
As far as the rail line goes, the ultimate question is who pays for it? If its Translink they will want a return on their cash within a relatively short time frame, not spending millions to maybe recoup a profit in 50 years! I remember Harbour wanted to move the Sydenham halt after they moved their terminal and it just wasn't viable. That was moving a halt by half a mile, not starting a new line from scratch along with all the headaches that is going to bring. Don't think it'll happen in my lifetime and the longer its left the harder it will be to actually do.
Join Date: Dec 2013
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Not sure I would agree. Dublin takes in a lot of NI passengers.
People didn’t use it because it wasn’t a legacy carrier with connections.
United was in Belfast for ten years.
People didn’t use it because it wasn’t a legacy carrier with connections.
United was in Belfast for ten years.