FAQ

All airports are encouraged by Government to publish a Master Plan for future development. Our last Master Plan was produced in 2006, so it is timely to review our thinking.  

Experts predict air travel across the island of Ireland is set to double in the next 15 years to over 90 million passengers, and all airports will have to play their part in handling this demand. Our Master Plan outlines how we can handle 7 million passengers per year by 2040, creating over 1,100 jobs and playing a major role in driving the economy forward. 

This Master Plan outlines how we need to grow sustainably and responsibly to meet increasing passenger demand up to 2040. It is intended to provide all stakeholders with an outline of our future blueprint for growth as well as informing future plan making exercises, decision making, investment and community engagement. 

The required growth at Belfast City Airport will help the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government, including supporting a high performing, competitive economy, tackling disadvantage, promoting inclusion and delivering on climate change. 

Our vision is to grow to 7 million passengers a year in a sustainable and responsible way. This growth can be achieved without increasing our current noise limits by welcoming more modern, quieter, and cleaner aircraft. 

The Master Plan will create both direct jobs at the airport and indirect jobs through local suppliers, contractors, and the wider Northern Ireland economy. We will double our workforce, creating 1,100+ new jobs, and support 23,000+ jobs in the region. 

If our plans came to fruition, passengers can expect world-class facilities, more choice and frequency of destinations across the UK and Europe, and easier, more convenient access to the airport.

This Master Plan has the potential to deliver transformational economic benefits across Northern Ireland. With the ability to grow, the airport can double its onsite workforce by creating over 1,100 jobs, open up more routes to key UK and European destinations, and connect Northern Ireland to the global economy. 
 
The economic benefits from delivery of our Master Plan will be significant. By 2040, we can generate £1.7 billion in GVA for Northern Ireland and support over 23,000 jobs across the region. 

The £200 million potential investment referenced in our Master Plan is a private investment that will create more than 1,100 jobs, improve connectivity, regional balance and economic growth, and connect Northern Ireland with European cities not currently served from Belfast. 

Our vision will unlock a potential private investment of up to £200 million over the next 15 years, which will bring the required changes to the physical infrastructure at the airport to life.  

To accommodate 7 million passengers by 2040, we anticipate the need to extend the terminal, add new aircraft stands, extend the apron and taxiways, improve Surface Access facilities, and reduce the proportion of people using private cars to access the airport.  

There are also opportunities to provide complementary developments to support our growth, including a new hotel and retail forecourt with increased provision of charging facilities for electric vehicles.  

To support these enhancements, it’s likely that upgrades to the existing airport access, parking, and forecourt will also be required. 

It is important to drive a shift towards more sustainable transport as part of any growth. We will work with Translink to deliver improved bus facilities and cap parking levels to encourage more use of public transport.  

This public-private partnership between the airport and Translink is to further explore the opportunity for a new rail halt directly connecting the terminal to Belfast city centre. This is the first partnership of its kind in Northern Ireland and could deliver the first rail connected airport on the island.    

To meet demand for 7 million passengers a year, we need to extend the terminal to create an iconic first impression for those arriving in the city. We will also need new aircraft stands, an extension of the apron and taxiways, improved surface access facilities and a reduction of the proportion of people using private cars to access the airport.  
 
We do not anticipate that an extension of the runway will be required.

We do not anticipate that an extension of the runway will be required to achieve our plans. 

No. The forecasted growth can be achieved within our existing noise contour limit. This is possible because airlines are introducing the latest generation of aircraft, which are significantly quieter and cleaner than older models. 

We are committed to responsible growth, which means balancing passenger demand with sustainability. That includes working with airlines to operate cleaner aircraft, investing in sustainable infrastructure, and exploring public transport options such as a direct rail link to the airport. 

We will continue to follow strict guidelines and invest in measures that minimise environmental impact, including noise monitoring, operational controls, transparency in our reporting and supporting airlines in using cleaner, quieter aircraft. 

With aviation experts predicting that air travel demand will double by 2040, Belfast City Airport needs to plan so it can play its part in meeting that demand.  

If we plan for the future now, we can strengthen connectivity to key UK and European destinations, support tourism and inward investment, create new employment opportunities, and unlock significant private investment in local infrastructure.  

Our Proposal of Application Notices sets out draft proposals for a potential £200 million private investment. 

This includes: 

• Enhancements and extensions to the terminal, delivering world-class passenger facilities 

• New multimodal passenger forecourt with upgraded public transport facilities  

• Other complementary development, including a hotel 

• Safeguards to accommodate a future pedestrian link to a potential rail halt  

• Improved vehicle access and parking facilities  

• New aircraft stands to accommodate more cleaner, quieter, new-generation aircraft 

• New aprons and taxiways to improve airfield operations 

 

More details will be available once the consultation period opens on 29th September 2026. 

We will also be liaising with the Department for Infrastructure regarding amendments to our Planning Agreement. The proposed extended operating hours: 

• Increase the period for scheduled operations from a 15-hour day to a 16-hour day, allowing for scheduled movements up to 22:30 

• Maintain the no-fly period between 00:00 and 06:29 

We will also be seeking an increase in annual traffic movements from 48,000 to 61,000, which would be accommodated within the airport’s existing noise controls. 

It’s important to note that while these applications will be brought forward separately and are considered through different planning processes, together they form a coordinated programme to realise our vision. 

Extended operating hours are critical for Belfast City Airport to be able to meet the forecast increase in demand for air travel to and from Ireland and enable it to unlock the associated benefits, including increased connectivity to the UK and Europe. They are also essential to support the investment needed to deliver the infrastructure required for the airport’s long-term growth. 

By incentivising the transition to cleaner, quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft, we can meet the forecast growth in demand to 2040 and extend the operating hours whilst staying within the noise contour area limits as set by the current Planning Agreement with DfI.  

Belfast City Airport's location, accessibility and growth ambitions create a unique opportunity to work with Translink and other partners to deliver meaningful increases in public transport use, enhancing sustainable travel choices and improving connectivity.  

Our draft proposals include safeguarding measures to accommodate a future pedestrian bridge connection between the terminal and proposed rail halt, and we recently signed an MOU with Translink to explore how rail connectivity to the airport could be enhanced in the future.