Belfast International Airport is an international passenger and cargo airport at Aldergrove, north-west of Belfast. It has two crossing runways and operates throughout the day and night. Its catchment includes Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland.[1][2]
Airfield and operating role
The airport's published technical specification gives runway 07/25 a physical length of 2,780 metres and width of 45 metres. The shorter runway, 17/35, measures 1,891 by 45 metres. Both have asphalt surfaces, with the longer runway using a grooved finish. The runways provide different alignments within the same airfield.[1]
Instrument landing facilities are provided for runway 25 and runway 17. The published specification identifies Category IIIB capability for runway 25 and Category I for runway 17. Taxiways and aprons connect the passenger and cargo areas to the runway system. The airport's commercial information also identifies freight-handling facilities and space for further development within its site.[1][2]
Passenger and cargo development
Aldergrove's history includes both passenger growth and freight investment. British Airways introduced a Belfast to Heathrow shuttle in April 1977. A Boeing 747 operated a Toronto charter through Shannon in July that year. In 1980 NLM Cityhopper began scheduled flights to Amsterdam, establishing the airport's first scheduled service to a continental European city.[3]
The airport adopted the Belfast International name in 1983, when a development phase added an international pier and changed check-in facilities. An executive aviation terminal opened in 1987 and a cargo centre followed in 1991. A management buyout privatised the airport in 1994; TBI acquired it in 1996. easyJet began operations in January 1998, adding a new low-cost element to the passenger network.[3]
Location and access
The airport is approximately 18 miles by road north-west of central Belfast. Road access connects it with the wider Northern Ireland transport network, while buses and coaches provide links beyond the immediate airport area. Its location outside the city distinguishes it from Belfast City Airport at Sydenham.[4]
The operator's 2025 commercial information describes Belfast International as a Level 2 airport for schedule coordination. Airlines notify planned commercial programmes to Airport Coordination Limited. This arrangement sits alongside the airport's published twenty-four-hour operating capability; it concerns the coordination of schedules, rather than restricting the airport to daytime passenger use.[2]