Ryanair to pull out of Belfast City Airport at end of October
announced.
inquiry into a planned runway extension would be further delayed.
– Bristol, the East Midlands, Prestwick, Liverpool and London.
that the promised runway extension at Belfast City Airport has still not materialised
more than three years after we opened the base at Belfast City”.
airports elsewhere in the UK and Europe, all of whom are willing and able to provide
us with the runway infrastructure and low-cost facilities we need”.
back.
aircraft to another European airport, with the loss of 50 Ryanair jobs.
a factor in the decision
Airport, said that “we are obviously disappointed at Ryanair’s decision; the airline
had provided five successful routes from Belfast City Airport”.
the routes operated by Ryanair and I am confident that we can attract other airlines
to fill the void,” she said.
to a public inquiry, said he was disappointed.
Airport.
cutting their cloth,” he said.
extension, said: “Residents are very pleased.
some respite.”
to fly to destinations much further afield.
inquiry into the proposed extension until further information is provided by the
airport.
concerns,” said our correspondent.
of George Best Belfast City Airport, at least temporarily.
the real motives for the move and says it highlights the need for a proper local
aviation strategy.
and we’re really glad they’ve discovered they can’t,” said Dr Liz Fawcett, Chair
of the BCAW Steering Group.
airlines such as easyJet to bring more routes to the airport, so any respite from
noise for residents is likely to be short-lived.”
scrutinised.
airlines obviously face a real challenge in attracting sufficient passengers to
make their routes profitable,” said Dr Fawcett.
as the proposed runway extension.
strategy for the region’s airports.
the runway extension goes ahead, any further expansion would be at the expense
of Belfast International Airport,” said Dr Fawcett.
proper strategy for the development of airports in Northern Ireland – one which
ensures City doesn’t just duplicate what International already provides, and one
which takes into account the health and well-being of local residents.”
planes to carry larger loads of passengers and fuel, leading to heavier aircraft
and greater levels of noise. The proposal would also enable
the airport to greatly expand its operations.
which was commissioned by the Planning Service.
runway length alone, it would be possible to operate larger aircraft from the
extended runway, possibly with some adaptations to ground infrastructure.
east and south Belfast, and in north Down, affected by aircraft noise from the
City Airport.
noise is already a very real problem for many residents:
aircraft noise affected their sleep
· Three-quarters (75%) of respondents said they often had to stop talking
when a plane flew over because they couldn’t be heard
· Of the 157 respondents with children, nearly half (46%) said theirchildren
weren’t getting enough sleep because of aircraft noise.
· More than a third (34%) of those with children said their children found
aircraft noise frightening.
groups across affected areas within east and south Belfast, and north Down. For
more information on the campaign, visit:
of the Environment and the Airport. The current Agreement came into force on 14th
October 2008.
028 9020 0811 or 0771 943 5662.
airport, but wanted the runway extended. The application to extend the runway
by 590 metres in the direction of Belfast Lough is awaiting an inquiry and has
been delayed for years. Ryanair claims it is having to pull out of the airport
because of the short runway. The real reason is likely to be that its northern
Ireland operations were not making money, and cuts were due this winter.
1). there will be less passengers at Bristol, EMA, Glasgow, Liverpool and “London”
(not sure which one that is, presumably Stansted)
2). loss of this one (based) plane will remove 50 jobs, and a total of 800,000
passengers per year (not all on that based plane). So this works out as 62.5 jobs
per million passengers – somewhat lower than the 1,000 jobs they have previously
claimed when adding routes. Total employment at Ryanair was 99 per mppa in 2003
– data attributed to CAA.
withdrawals and influencing a public inquiry.