Belfast International Airport: Difference between revisions

Belfast International Airport is currently undergoing significant renovations with landside access severely limited as more of the terminal is taken into the airside. There was a dedicated viewing lounge within the terminal which is currently closed (January 2011) due to the renovation works. There is no confirmation as to whether or not this facility will re-open when work is complete. It is possible that access to the lounge may become available from the domestic baggage reclaim area (landside) at some stage in the future. Ordinarily, entrance to the lounge is free and views are relatively good across the active passenger apron and onto runway 25/07. However the freight ramp is hidden behind the international arrivals pier. Photographs from the viewing lounge can be reasonable but you will have to avoid the grubby windows as the gallery is completely enclosed!

In August 09 the security search area was moved closer to the checkin area, therefore limiting the landside views of the ramp from the central terminal complex. However, if you have a passenger ticket there are reasonable views from the newly located coffee lounge area in the terminal. The coffee shop is now located where the duty free shop used to be however the old duty fre shopfittings have ben removed to open up views across the apron and onto Runway 25. You can get a view of one or two of the stands and the eastern side of the international pier. Most aircraft will taxi past these windows at some point.   

Biz-jet parking is on "Delta" ramp, out of view of the terminal although more and more frequently they will also park next to the GA area.  

Further into the passenger lounge, there are limited views from the windows at the cafe & wine bar. You can see the international pier and a section of the main runway 25. Most lounges have views of some sort with the best being from the international departure gates. The Easyjet lounge (the old BA Shuttle lounge) also has reasonable views although it can be very busy at times.

If you turn left at the church (away from the airport)onto Killead Road, after another 300yards you will see the main road (A26) from Nutts Corner to Antrim. Just before this there is a road on the left leading up to some houses and a furniture business ("Creative Furnishings"). It's a public road and you may pull in here. The council have even provided litter bins! You get decent views of aircraft on short finals although photos aren't great as you are a bit "underneath". It was once possible for you to be able to see the threshold of 25 about 1/2 mile away but the hedge has grown up too high now.  

If you want to see the freight apron, turn left out of the front door of the airport and walk past the Park Plaza Hotel towards the long-stay car park. Once at the car-park entrance turn left and walk down towards the airfield past the car hire outlets. One of the car hire businesses has expanded onto the road here (during 2007) limiting the proximity to the airfield, but you can still stop for a few seconds and identify anything on the freight ramp, albeit through various fences and other bits and pieces of airfield equipment. There are no chance of photos as a result. You may also want to walk into the long-stay car park to get a different view onto the freight ramp.

Turn right at the long-stay car park entrance. After 50 yards you come to a cross-roads at a mini-roundabout - turn left into British Road. You will pass the entrance of the Cargo Centre and after another 300m you will see the landing lights of runway 17 to your left. Turn left immediately into Seacash Road. This is a dead-end road but there are a couple of spots where you can pull in and look across the airfield towards the runway intersection, the Woodgate Hangar area and the former RAF site. If you carry on along this road to the end you will find yourself at the back of the Woodgate hangar. You can normally see one or two of their light aircraft parked up outside. Aldergrove's Rescue Training ex-BA Trident G-AVFE is hiding in the field to the right of the Woodgate hangar.  

The airport Police patrol here regularly, but even though it is a control zone, they usually let you stay here if you talk nicely to them :).  

During 2007 it appeared that work was going to commence along Seacash Road to develop airport hangar and industrial facilities. However this work has failed to materialise (as of October 09) with only a builders storage area left to "threaten" any existing views.

Follow British Road from the airport until the end, when you come to a T-Junction, and turn left. Follow this road a few km, until you come to a staggered junction just before a railway bridge, with some buildings to your left hand side. This is Aldergrove village, you can see it on the map accessible from the top right of this page. The road to your left is a control zone, so you cannot take the car up it ( it leads to the army base ), but you can leave your car at the buildings on the main road without a problem, and walk up. Views of aircraft approaching 07 can be got here whenever it is in use. There are a lot of trees in the way etc,,, but its OK for air shots, and the sun is on your side.

-=UPDATE=- 27/05/2007 , there are road closed signs on this road now with some work going on preventing you from walking up here.

If you go to the nearest 35 approach road, this has 'Control Zone' signs on it from a fair distance back.

However, there is a road called the Crosshill Road which gives splendid views overlooking the 35 threshold.

This can be found just off the Manse Road on the South side of the airport. Coming from Nutts Corner, take the Nutts Corner Road, signposted to Crumlin, the one before the road to the airport, and turn off at the Manse Road junction on the bend. Crosshill Road is the first on your right after that. There is a signpost to Crosshill B & B at the corner.

This is within a 'Control Zone' so is generally a no go here. It is however possible to park just outside the 'Zone' beside a gate (before the railway bridge) and see the approaching a/c from there. However, you are not that close and the pictures won't be that good. It's not used often for Jet Traffic either. Mostly Helicopter traffic.

===Southern Perimeter/Former RAF Camp===

Security is reasonably tight around the perimeter in general and you might be stopped by either airport police (most common), PSNI (Northern Ireland police force) or the British Army (fairly unlikely). The airport police are fine if you explain what you are doing. They might even offer some advice! The PSNI and army are much less regular visitors but you would undoubtedly run into them if you stopped anywhere around the south side of the airport. The locations on approach to 25 are fine as long as you adhere to the signage, you shouldn't have any bother.

Movements are dominated by Easyjet, BMi Baby, Aer Lingus and Jet2 although Thomas Cook and Thomson/First Choice usually have a based A320. Continental Airlines has a daily flight to Newark throughout the summer which reduces to 6 days per week in the winter schedule. Manx2 operations to the Isle Of Man usually see a Let 410, Dornier 228 or Metro at least twice daily.

Summer charters operators include Air Europa (B738), Bulgaria Air (B737), Balkan Holidays (A320), Onur Air (A321), Iberworld (A320) and Eurocypria (B738). Winter ski charters are usually operated on Saturdays or Sundays by Austrian/Lauda and Bulgarian airlines.   

Military movements are dominated by based helicopters (gazelles, pumas & Lynx's) with occasional visits from RAF Hercules/VC10/Tristar troop carriers.  

Also a regular is the PSNI EC135 Helicopter, Callsign Police 44 Zulu, which is based at Aldergrove, along with a fixed wing Islander (Scout 1). They have a hangar on the AAC side of the military apron.

Ulsterbus run a bus service to Belfast City Centre (Europa Bus Centre) every ten minutes from the front of the terminal. The service number is 300 and the journey takes about 30 minutes. You can get a connecting minibus from Europa Bus Centre to Belfast City Airport, departures every thirty minutes (if not more frequent), journey time is about 10 minutes.