Belfast Airport bids to lure customers north

BELFAST International Airport (BIA) has launched a cross-border drive for business as it announces yet another new international route.

Canadian airline Zoom is to add Halifax, Nova Scotia to its scheduled destinations from May in addition to the Vancouver and Toronto routes it launched over the last two years.

With an extra 10 scheduled and two charter routes due to open by July, BIA is seeking to encourage Irish travellers to start their journey in Belfast instead of Dublin.

A four-week advertising campaign in Border counties of the Republic is being run, with a second drive in late May.

John Doran, the airport managing director, said: “This is to attract attention, we have been hiding our light under a bushel for a number of years and it is now time to go out and a talk a bit more about where we are, what we do and what we can offer.”

The airport, he said, recognised it did not have much to offer a few years ago. In 2001 there were just 14 destinations available from Belfast International — 11 domestic routes together with New York via Shannon, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Now the airport offers 42 destinations — 27 international and 15 to domestic British routes. Some of the routes, like those to Canada are unique from Ireland.

Mr Doran said the campaign, which he said was costing “a six figure sum”, was not a hard sell in direct competition to Dublin but rather an awareness raising exercise.