BELFAST International Airport says passenger numbers and business activity reached a nine-year high over June, July and August..
On the passenger side, the peak summer period showed impressive growth, spikking in August with numbers up 11.1 per cent on the corresponding month last year.
On the domestic side alone, there were 24,000 additional passengers – easyJet’s London destinations accounted for more than half that figure. Jet2 also enjoyed impressive growth with newcomer, Wizz air, carrying 6,000 passengers on its two routes.
On the car parks and retail side, performance galloped into double figures. A concerted effort to market and promote competitively priced airside retail and food and drink outlets paid off handsomely.
Aldergrove managing director Graham Keddie said that while weather-wise, summer 2015 was one to forget, yet for the airport it turned out to be a sizzler, with thousands of additional passengers using the facility and its expanding network of destinations.
“We will work tirelessly to build on that international network and also do all we can to attract new airlines to the airport. We continue to make the case for Northern Ireland at major route conferences and in one-to-one discussions with airlines," Mr Keddie said.
“We have destination gaps, and expanding our reach and creating greater choice for passengers is my top priority.”
Airport commercial development director Brian Carlin said the season offered a clear sign that consumer confidence is returning, adding: “Summer has been a turning point for us.
"Some outlets enjoyed year-on-year growth in excess of 15 per cent while car parking contributed massively to the overall performance which was up 25 per cent on the same period last year.”
