Belfast City Airport 2040 Expansion Plan

It was with dismay and incredulity that we heard about Belfast City airports plans covering it’s hoped-for growth for the next 15 years.

DISMAY because, if realised, it would mean a tripling of passenger numbers through the airport with enormous noise and pollution consequences for the unfortunate residents of Belfast.

Most depressingly is the proposal to extend the operating hours of the airport up to 23.59. At the minute it is supposed to stop all flights at 21.30 but as we all know they break this restriction seemingly nearly every night. Given their past non-compliance we could experiece flights up to 2.30 in the morning!

INCREDULITY because many of the “facts” as advanced by the airport don’t stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever. A flavour of the grandiose nonsense spouted by Mr Hall can be sampled in the quote given in today’s Irish News when he says ”…demand for air travel across the island of Ireland will double to 90 million passengers a year by 2040 but it is important to understand that George Best Belfast City Airport alone can’t do this.”

Yes Mr Hall we do understand this, as unlike you apparently, we have heard of Belfast International, Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports! Belfast City currently has 2.4 million passengers out of 45 million using northern and southern airports and to describe these plans as ambitious would be a huge understatement.

Allied to all that, he claims that thousands of jobs will be created as these millions of passengers arrive quietly in Belfast on near silent planes that have yet to be invented. Since the day that GBBCA opened the unfortunate residents have been waiting for these mythological whispering jets.

The only fair way to evaluate these plans is to subject them to forensic examination in a Public Inquiry which will separate fact from fiction.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Join Belfast City Airport Watch and get your friends and neighbours to do so too. Contact your MP or MLA immediately. Let them know forcefully of your concerns. The airport, driven by a well planned and glossy PR campaign, is pushing ahead at a breakneck pace and seems intent on presenting us with a done deal!

REMEMBER! If you do nothing now, you will have planes roaring over your home on an average of one every four minutes from 6.30 in the morning until midnight with immeasurable damage to your physical and mental health, your children’s education, and if you are lucky enough to own your own home, a substantial drop in its value!