Airport launches cross-border new business drive

Belfast International Airport (BIA) launched a cross-border drive for custom today as it announced 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 extra 10 scheduled and two charter routes due to open by July, BIA is seeking to encourage Irish travellers to consider going to Belfast instead of Dublin to start their journey.

A four week advertising campaign in border counties is being run with a second drive in late May.

Free tickets on routes out of Belfast are also on offer through local radio station competitions.

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 UK routes together with New York via Shannon, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Immediately after the 9/11 bomb attacks the New York route shut down and Brussels went soon after.

Now the airport offers 42 destinations – 27 international and 15 to UK 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 an awareness raising exercise.

“We are trying to put ourselves in the forefront of people’s consciousness when they are making travel decisions.

“We hope they will consider coming here rather than following their traditional routes through Dublin.”

His argument is impressive: “Within a one hour drive of Belfast International Airport there are 1.6 million people. between one and a half hours and two hours there are 2.2 million.”

Parking at BIA was cheaper, he said, and the airport less congested than Dublin.

“They have not started building their Terminal 2 yet and are already planning Terminal 3.”

Growth in passenger numbers at BIA has been impressive in recent years, largely thanks to the boom in low-cost air travel.

In 2001 the airport handled just over 3 million passengers. By 2005 it had risen to 4.8 and broke through the 5 million barrier last year.

Projections are that there will be a 10% increase to 5.5% this year.

The airport master plan predicts passenger number will increase to almost 10.5 million by 2030 – or over 12 million if things go even better. Currently increases are running on the higher projection.

Mr Doran does not expect growth to be hit by environmental taxes.

“There seems to be boundless uptake in air travel. Experience is that when a tax is introduced there is a slight hic-up and then growth continues.”

He added: “Air travel has become a commodity – that is where government has perhaps got it wrong, when they look at taxation of air travel they are still treating it as luxury goods

“But it is not luxury goods any more, it is a commodity and people treat it as such and will on a whim and suddenly decide go to such and such a place this weekend or next weekend.”