Business

Global recognition for Belfast International Airport director Uel Hoey

Belfast International Airport director Uel Hoey is in Barcelona, where he has been short-listed for a top aviation industry honour
Belfast International Airport director Uel Hoey is in Barcelona, where he has been short-listed for a top aviation industry honour Belfast International Airport director Uel Hoey is in Barcelona, where he has been short-listed for a top aviation industry honour

BELFAST International Airport’s business development director Uel Hoey has been short-listed for a global award from the body which recognises new air route successes.

The World Routes Marketing Awards, one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the aviation industry, take place this weekend (September 23-25) in Barcelona.

And Hoey is on the short-list for the individual award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Routes Development' as a result of his efforts to bring the hugely successful Routes Europe Forum to Belfast in April.

That event brought 114 airlines, 370 airports and around 40 tourism organisations to Northern Ireland for the first time.

He'll face competition in the awards from airport representatives from regions including Spain, New Zealand, USA and Greece.

Hoey said: "Bringing Routes Europe to Belfast was something I had been working towards for some time.

“The importance of bringing the conference to Belfast cannot be under-estimated. Indeed, the new routes which have followed have led to the creation of hundreds of new jobs and significant multi-million pound investments at or near Belfast International Airport."

He added: “While I’ve been nominated individually, it would never have happened without the support of my colleagues at Belfast International.”

Steven Small, brand director of Routes, said: "The World Routes Marketing Awards are extremely competitive and the quality of the entries is extremely high. I would like to congratulate the people and organisations who have made it this far."