The Airport Operator | Winter 2025
15 Dec 2025
Belfast City Airport is finalising the details of a potential £200m investment plan to transform its terminal and airfield to be ready for 2040 when aviation analysts predict demand for air travel across the island of Ireland will double to 90m passengers.
To meet this demand, all airports in Ireland will have a role to play, and Belfast City Airport is preparing to grow to 7m passengers within this period.
Belfast City Airport’s Chief Executive, Matthew Hall, told The Airport Operator that, if the airport’s investment plan is given the green light, “we will end up with a world class asset which then becomes a fundamental growth driver and enabler for the economy, providing both vital connectivity and a great first impression for visitors”.
The draft plan sets out the airport’s vision for £200m of private investment in its airfield and terminal. Hall emphasised that the airport sees no need for a runway extension. The key airfield investment will be more aircraft parking stands and the associated apron and taxiways needed to accommodate increased demand. There will also be a significant terminal capacity expansion and upgrade, both landside and airside, and a new multi-modal forecourt prioritising public transport. Anticipating the proposed new rail station, there will be a new covered walkway connecting the station directly to the front of the terminal.
