The airport was formerly known as Belfast City Airport until it was renamed in 2006 in memory of George Best, the famous footballer associated with East Belfast.
The airport handled 2.1 million passengers in 2006, a 76.6% increase since 2001 [3].
The airport is a major base for Flybe, which began operations at the airport in 1993 and is now the largest operator at Belfast City.
Belfast City has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P862) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
History
An airfield was established by Shorts beside their Belfast factory in 1937 as Sydenham Airport (Sydenham, Belfast). This was Belfast's main civilian airport from 1938 to 1939. The airfield was requisitioned by the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Nutts Corner, a former Royal Air Force (RAF) base, then became Belfast's main airport (while Aldergrove would later become the primary airport in Northern Ireland). The Sydenham airfield continued to be used for military purposes until the 1970s, after which it was used by Shorts. In 1983, following interest from airlines and customers, the airfield was opened for commercial flights as Belfast Harbour Airport (subsequently Belfast City Airport and now in its current guise).
Present day
Following major capital investment Bombardier sold the airport for £35 million to the Spanish company Ferrovial,[4] the owner of BAA.
Ferrovial is one of Europe's leading construction groups and a growing airport management group. It also manages several other airports worldwide.
On 30 October2007, Ryanair established its 23rd base at the airport. The newest route was between Belfast and London Stansted, following Air Berlin's announcement that it would discontinue the route on 31 October2007.
As the airport is adjacent to residential areas, the issue of noise pollution is a major one and a source of public debate. The airport has developed a noise management strategy following a planning agreement, under which the airport operates, and has established operational noise abatement procedures.
The airport has recently applied for a complete removal of the limit on the seats it can sell [5] - a key element of the 1997 planning agreement, which guards against over-expansion of an airport which is sited in a densely populated location. As a result, numerous residents' groups have formed a coalition - The Coalition Against Belfast City Airport Expansion [6] - to protest against the airport's proposed expansion plans, and to represent the views of residents at the Examination in Public held during 2006. [5]
The airport is now preparing to make a proposal for a hotel to be sited either on the land currently occupied by the cargo facilities or the short stay car park [citation needed]. If sited on the car park it would have a covered walkway into the terminal[citation needed]. The nearest hotels to the airport are in the city centre, around 10 to 15 minutes drive from the terminal during peak times.
The number of residential areas of Belfast affected by large low flying aircraft has increased substantially, particularly with the introduction of larger aircraft, for example BMIAirbus aircraft. [citation needed]
Restrictions applied to the airport include:
The requirement for flights to operate between 6:30 am and 9:30 pm (with extensions granted in exceptional circumstances to operate delayed flights up to midnight).
That there can only be 45,000 commercial aircraft movements in any year.
That airlines must not offer more than 1.5 million seats for sale on flights from the airport per year.
The majority of flights must approach and depart the airport over Belfast Lough (currently only 54.8% in practice), rather than over the city of Belfast. [citation needed]
The airport owners are studying providing access to the airport through the adjacent Holywood Exchange retail development. This would take advantage of the high capacity flyover serving that site and reduce congestion at the existing entrances. [citation needed]
Renamed in memory of George Best
The new airport signageFile:DSCF0112.JPGA Flybe George Best livery
In March 2006, it announced that the airport would be renamed in memory of the late Belfast footballerGeorge Best. The new name, George Best Belfast City Airport[7], and signage were revealed at the renaming ceremony attended by Best's family and friends on May 22, 2006, which would have been Best's 60th birthday.
The renaming of the airport caused considerable controversy, with many articles in local and national print media highlighting the mixed feeling of Belfast residents. While many residents supported the move, an equal number of citizens felt that a more appropriate Belfast figure could have been chosen for the honour. [8]
In March2006 Flybe, announced that it would be naming its Belfast City - Manchester service after the late footballer, dedicating a plane to him. However the aircraft, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, G-JECL, does not serve this route on a regular basis and rarely makes an appearance at the airport. [citation needed]
