The deadline for bids to buy Belfast City Airport has been extended.
Friday was the deadline set for final bids.
There are four bids – one of them from TBI, the owners of Belfast International Airport.
The bidders were set a very tight deadline by Bombardier, the owners of the airport.
Competition authorities
The interested parties asked for a two week extension to the deadline and that was granted.
In the past, Belfast International airport has attempted to take over the City Airport. A previous bid was blocked on competition grounds as it was thought not to be in the public interest.
However, it is thought TBI has argued that because of changed circumstances the ability for it to push up prices would not be possible.
If the TBI bid is successful it will be referred to the competition authorities.
It is estimated the airport is worth somewhere between £40-50m.
Transport infrastructure
Canadian owners Bombardier said the airport was “no longer seen as a core part of its business strategy”.
The company acquired the airport when it bought Belfast aircraft company Shorts in 1989.
About 800 people are employed at the site.
Bombardier said that while there would be a change of ownership “the airport will continue to operate and to develop its position as a fundamental part of Northern Ireland’s transport infrastructure”.
Belfast City has been open for commercial air traffic since 1983. Currently three airlines – bmi British Midland, flybe and British Airways CitiExpress – serve some 18 destinations in Great Britain daily.
Approximately 1.8 million passengers are expected to use the airport this year.
Around 360 people are directly employed by the airport with a further 450 airline and other staff based there.
When the sale was announced, Northern Ireland’s transport watchdog, the General Consumer Council, said Belfast’s two airports should remain in separate ownership.
By: andrewm - 9th December 2002 at 15:31
RE: Update on Belfast City Airport Sale
Belfast City is an amazing airport with very good propects.
They have still got 70% of avilable land unused and could length the runway to accept aircraft possibly up to 767 or 757.
They, if anyone has been there, are using the old terminal for offices and also flybe seem to use that apron as a small maintenance area as there is the odd BAe 146 getting work done.
Making this into a terminal would attract more airlines including Ryanair (who are still not sure to go to Aldergrove or City or at all to Belfast!)
They could also use this to attract any new low cost or larger charter flights that use 757 size at Aldergrove (Air2000, Transair)
They have enough land avilable for 5-10 remote stands and also have a large enough fleet to over these. This would be appealing because at the moment one one A320/B737/A321 can be accomodated at one time and they just lost a stand because of the new air bridge which bmi paid for (only for bmi customers).
This would make Belfast City a very very attractive airport and coupled with below it is even more attractive. If i was Stelios or Mike Davis id move!
I learnt this from a friend:
bmi British Midland started operations again at Belfast City and Aldergrove recently. They started by looking at Aldergrove because it is cheaper. Belfast City were just nearly finished new terminal so they decided to pitch an off of no landing fees for as long as they were there. bmi British Midland dulu accepted and then Aldergrove found out about this. They to start off did nothing.
A while later (just becore flybe rebranded to low cost from BE) Aldergrove offered flybe free landing fees (not a bad move for flybe as they have at least 20-30 flights a day from NI).
Belfast City found out about this and offered them free landing fees. Flybe didnt want to move as they ahve a reputation of being central and at that time wernt low cost and were mainly dependant on Business Travellers so no sence to move and they still got free landing fees.
Aldergrove were pretty pised off by this stage so they offered bmi British Midland free landing fees and because of the BA pull out of BFS->LHR they decided to open this route.
Rumor has it bmibaby has free landing fees because of bmi being main owner!
This is aparently the biggest reason of Bombarider selling as it is hardly profitable with all them free flights!
By: Ren Frew - 9th December 2002 at 12:34
RE: Update on Belfast City Airport Sale
I’m surprised so few operators use Belfast City (“She’s handsome. she’s pretty”) I know they have to operate STOL types but you’d think more operators would be in there, especially as Aldergrove/Crumlin is flippin miles away from the city. I enjoy my trips to Belfast but would prefer to jet right into the heart of the city than my normal Easy/Go flights into Aldergrove.
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December 7, 2002 at 4:27 pm