The History And Development Of The Belfast Airports

Belfast currently has two airports, City and International. For travellers flying into either airport the use of car hire services will open up both the city of Belfast and the surrounding countryside. The local area is heavily dependent upon road transportation and hence a hire car is the perfect travel companion. But what are the histories of these twin airports, how does each service the local area and how are both expecting to develop in the future?

Belfast City Airport, also known as George Best is located in the port area of the city. It is a relative newcomer in the British air transportation network; its current name was gained in 2006 after the death of Belfast's favourite football son. Operations at Belfast City Airport have been ongoing since the thirties when the site was used extensively by the Royal Navy. At this time the Royal Air Force were using a different site, the nearby Aldergrove location that would eventually become the larger of the two airports servicing Belfast.

Military use continued at the harbour site and in 1983 airlines realised the benefits of the site and commercial flights were commenced. Today it is owned By the British Airports Authority who in turn is owned by the Ferrovial group, although the sale of the airport is expected in the next twelve months. Naturally the airport contains all of the usual auxiliary services such as car hire desks, shops and restaurants.

Belfast international Airport is the larger of the two airports and is around thirteen miles from the city. As previously stated it was formerly known as Aldergrove although locals still use this name. The site has a strong military heritage and a connection with the Royal Air Force that continues to this day. In fact the runways at Belfast International Airport are shared by the RAF who fly operations from the Aldergrove base. In terms of passenger numbers the airport is the busiest in Northern Ireland handling around five million passengers annually. Flights go to destinations all over the world to Africa, the Caribbean and America. With such an international client base a number of companies have placed car hire desks, shops and restaurants to extract further revenue from passengers.

As a result of the government white paper ensuring all airports produce a master plan for expansion Belfast international has put forward a number of different objectives for the next thirty years. These development goals include an extension of the check in hall, the construction of a new South pier and the creation of a multi storey car park to accommodate passenger vehicles and car hire fleets.

As with all master plans the reasons behind the expansion objectives are to increase passenger numbers and hence revenue, part of the plans for the airport includes a complete destruction of the existing terminal and the building of a new terminal filled will the retail outlets and car hire desks that are the hallmarks of any modern airport. In as similar vein George Best is also planning expansion although it is more restricted by its surroundings, a result of being located near to residential areas.

The twin airports provide the residents of Belfast with an important link with the world. While the city airport focuses upon flights to domestic airports adjoined to major cities, the international airport acts as a gateway to the destinations all over the planet. As the city grows it is doubtless that its servicing airports will grow to accommodate a larger population.

Air travel expert Thomas Pretty looks at how car hire Belfast airport services have been integral to the twin site's development.

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