Belfast City Airport Watch have voiced our concern at the news that Aer Lingus is to operate two international routes at the airport.
The airline has announced that, as part of its move from Belfast International to the City Airport, it will operate daily flights to Malaga and Faro from the end of March 2013.
We fear that the international flights will create a significant increase in the levels of aircraft noise they have to endure.
We briefly experienced the severe noise levels associated with a large number of international flights when bmibaby was operating out of the City Airport earlier this summer. Now the nightmare of international flights is returning.
The fact is that the further planes go, the more fuel they need, making them heavier and noiser as a result.
We are also concerned that Aer Lingus may well announce further international routes in due course.
It’s totally inappropriate for an airport in a built-up urban area to be permitted to operate international flights, when there’s a perfectly adequate international airport within easy driving distance of the whole of the greater Belfast and north Down area.
It can’t be argued that flights to ‘sunshine’ destinations such as these are going to have any significant benefit for local tourism – they simply suck tourism revenue out of our economy by encouraging local people to holiday abroad.
Aer Lingus will be operating the Airbus A319, surely these planes are much quieter than BMIBaby’s Boeing 737-300 (classics)..
Dave please dont bring logical scientific fact into the argument. It doesnt help that casuse !!!
Quite the contrary Raymond, we welcome scientific fact in to the ongoing debate about aircraft noise. In fact we want everyone to be aware of the undisputed facts, as outlined here: http://www.belfastcityairportwatch.co.uk/noise/george-best-belfast-city-airport-and-noise-the-facts/
As far as i have heard there is much more planned being kept under wraps till they get over the winter and larger aircraft on the way from aerlingus and this was told to me from someone who works there.