BUSINESS FIRST NORTHERN IRELAND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2017
George Best Belfast City Airport ready for 2017
Brian Ambrose , Chief Executive , George Best Belfast City Airport gives his outlook for 2017
ollowing a record year in 2015 with passenger numbers reaching 2.7 million
Fand a forecasted increase in 2016 , we are looking forward to an equally busy 2017 .
In recent years , Belfast has become one of the UK ’ s top tourist destinations , appealing to both leisure and business visitors . This has been recognised across the globe , and we are delighted that the city has been chosen to host the Routes Europe Conference in April .
Traditionally , Belfast City Airport has focused on a domestic route network , however as a result of an increased interest in the region and in response to passenger demand for direct connections to key destinations across Europe , our European network has expanded .
The success of routes such as our daily service to Amsterdam operated by KLM and our Aer Lingus summer schedule to destinations such as Alicante , Faro , Palma and Malaga saw the airport smash its annual international passenger record by September 2016 .
The end of August saw the airport beat the previous annual high of 171,270 , set in 2015 , with the 2016 figure climbing to 200,977 . By the end of November , 256,146 passengers had arrived and departed on the airport ’ s international routes .
Reaching a milestone of over 200,000 international passengers almost four months before the end of the year gives evidence of the public demand for flights to key European destinations in Northern Ireland , and provides a major boost for Northern Ireland tourism .
Towards the end of 2016 we also announced a three times weekly to Reykvavik which will be operated by AirIceland , a member of the Icelandair group . Starting from June 2017 , this service will provide easy connections to Icelandair ’ s huge network of US and Canadian destinations .
Routes Europe 2017
The Routes Europe conference is one of the most important commercial aviation events of the year , bringing thousands of aviation professionals from across the world under one roof .
This April , Belfast will host 1200 delegates for at least three days at the largest European forum for aviation professionals to decide on future air route networks .
This is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the region to more than 100 airlines and gives us valuable face to face time
with the decision makers of airlines from across Europe , crucial for any further expansion on our current route offering .
Convenience is Key
In 2016 , a study in the Telegraph named Belfast City Airport as the sixth most convenient airport in the world , only one of three UK airports to rank within the top 20 and the only airport in Ireland to feature in the list .
The airport ’ s extremely convenient location has always been one of its stand out features , and the fact that it has been recognised on a global scale is hugely gratifying .
So far , we have invested more than £ 15 million into upgrading and improving our facilities and the walk from our car parks to the terminal remains one of the shortest in Europe which further complements our short distance from the city centre .
In 2016 we introduced a new Starbucks into the terminal , which was warmly welcomed by our passengers . We are committed in 2017 to continue to invest in facilities in the terminal to provide a great customer experience for all .
Community Support
We reached a significant milestone in our Community Fund in 2016 , with the grand total of financial support for local community projects now reaching £ 300,000 .
The airport Community Fund sees the airport fine airlines for operating late flights and , since its inception in 2009 , has provided funding to over 100 community groups , schools and projects .
We have worked with so many worthwhile projects over the past few years , supporting groups such as Age NI , Autism NI , Northern Ireland Forest Association , Bangor International Choral Festival , Our Lady and St Patrick ’ s College Knock , JTInspires , The Meningitis Research Foundation , Cinemagic and so many more . I look forward to seeing the impact our funding has on projects in 2017 .
In 2016 , Belfast City Airport achieved GOLD status in the NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey , as part of a Business in the Community initiative . This is an outstanding achievement and we hope to keep this level of community commitment up in 2017 .
Brexit Impact
Whilst Brexit has cast a shadow of doubt for some , it is certainly too early to be seeing the impact , if any , it will have on passenger figures .
We are seeing an increase in both inbound and outbound passengers using the European hubs , in addition to our Aer Lingus and British Airways services to London Heathrow , as a stopping point to connect to onward destinations across the world .
We predict this trend will continue throughout this year and look forward to a fantastic 2017 at Belfast City Airport .
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