Belfast International Airport (BFS)

About Belfast International Airport

Belfast International Airport is located 13 miles northwest of Belfast City centre, close to the village of Aldergrove. Belfast International Airport is the larger of Belfast’s two major airports. It is also known as Belfast Aldergrove Belfast International is Northern Ireland’s primary airport and in 2006 more than 5 million passengers passed through it.

Parking at the Airport

There are three parking options at Belfast International Airport. Short Stay & Pick Up, Main Stay and Long Stay. The Short Stay & Pick Up and Main car parks are located close to the terminal building.
The Short Stay & Pick Up car park is perfect for brief stops and pick ups.
The Main Stay car park is recommended for parking of up to three days and provides convenient parking for short business trips or long weekends away.
The Long Stay car park is ideal for holiday and business travellers flying from Belfast International Airport. A courtesy bus operates to and from the car park, which is well lit and has a high standard of security measures in place.

Facilities and Services

Belfast International Airport has services to 29 international scheduled destinations and many chartered destinations also. The passenger terminal has two levels, the upper for departures and the lower for arrivals. Passenger facilities include airport information; baby change facilities; Business Lounge; car hire; cash machines; currency exchange; postal services; quiet room and facilities for passengers requiring special assistance.
The terminal building also offers a good range of high street retail and catering outlets including Boots; Burger King; Dixons and Starbucks.
Belfast International Airport’s exclusive Business Lounge in association with Bank of Ireland is available for both business and leisure passengers for a small fee. The lounge offers fax, photocopying and Internet access to assist the business traveller or passengers may just like to unwind with a cup of freshly brewed coffee or a choice of complimentary alcoholic refreshments, and enjoy a range of snacks specially chosen from the Café Paul Rankin menu. Passengers flying with easyjet; bmibaby; and Jet2.com are eligible to receive a discounted entry fee to the lounge.

Getting To The Airport

By car - Belfast International Airport is situated approximately 18 miles from Belfast. From Belfast take the M2 northbound, turn off at Junction 5 and take the A57 for 7 miles until you reach the airport. From the north take the M2 southbound to Junction 5 and follow the instructions above. From the south and west, take the M1 motorway northbound, turn off at the Moira Junction and proceed via the A26 and Nutts Corner to the airport.
By coach/bus – Airporter operate an hourly coach service to/from Londonderry, the North and North East. The Airport Express 300 operates a 24 hour service between the airport and Belfast with buses departing every 10 minutes throughout the day. The Ulsterbus service 109A operates hourly from 6am - 6pm, Monday to Saturday between Lisburn Rail Station, Belfast International Airport and Antrim Bus Station.
By train - there are train services to and from Belfast, Lisburn and Londonderry that operate from Antrim, which is just six miles from the airport. Passengers travelling to Dublin can connect with a high speed Enterprise train, which departs from Belfast Central station.
The International Airport Taxi Company is the official taxi operator for the airport. They are available for hire outside the right hand door of the terminal exit lobby.

History of Belfast International Airport

In 1917, Aldergrove was selected to be a training establishment for the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. After the war the site remained open for RAF aircraft and for early civil traffic, which had just commenced. However it was not until 1933 that the first regular civil air service to Aldergrove began. The route from Glasgow was operated by Midland and Scottish Air Ferries. Shortly afterwards Aldergrove became Northern Ireland’s civil airport. During the Second World War, Aldergrove remained an RAF base.

Prior to the war another airfield was developed at Nutts Corner, about 6 miles from Aldergrove. In 1946 civil air operations were transferred from Belfast Harbour Airport (now the George Best Belfast City Airport) to Nutts Corner due to the longer runways available at that airfield. By the end of the 1950s the comparatively steep approach necessary for aircraft flying to Nutts Corner was deemed unsuitable. The decision to restore civil flights to Aldergrove was taken in July 1959. Operations were transferred to Aldergrove in September 1963. HRH, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother reopened the airport on 28th October 1963 and inaugurated the present terminal building.

In 1968, Aer Lingus and BOAC started scheduled services to New York. The following year annual passenger figures at Belfast Aldergrove reached 1 million. The early 70s saw a £3 million expansion and the newly formed Northern Ireland Airports Limited took over the operation of the airport. In 1977, British Airways launched the first Belfast-Heathrow shuttle and the first jumbo jet operated from the airport.

The airport was renamed Belfast International Airport in 1983 after work was finished on the second stage of a long term development plan which included the completion of the dedicated international pier, relocation of the check-in area and the installation of the moving walkway. 1987 saw the opening of the new executive aviation terminal and annual passenger figures at reached 2 million.

In 1994 Belfast International Airport was privatised due to a management buy-out which resulted in the creation of Belfast International Holdings Ltd. The airport was susequently bought by TBI in 1996. Low-cost airline, easyJet commenced operations in 1998 and by the end of the decade, annual passenger figures reached 3 million.

The new millennium has seen a continued growth at Belfast International Airport. The airport is now owned by ACDL after TBI was bought over early in 2005. The thriving airport achieved a new record in 2006 by exceeding 5 million annual passengers.