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!