George Best Belfast City Airport

About George Best Belfast City Airport

George Best Belfast City Airport, usually shortened to Belfast City Airport, is the smaller of Belfast's two airports and the one closest to the city. It is on the Sydenham Bypass next to Belfast Harbour, about 3 miles from the city centre, in the County Down part of the city. The IATA code is BHD and the ICAO code is EGAC. It is a separate airport from Belfast International, which is about 18 miles north-west of the city.

According to UK Civil Aviation Authority figures, the airport handled 2,363,716 terminal passengers in 2025, slightly fewer than the 2,391,042 recorded in 2024. It has one terminal and a single runway, 04/22, which is 1,829 metres (6,000 feet) long. The airfield is normally open from 06:30 to 21:30, with later operation up to 23:59 allowed only in exceptional circumstances.

Belfast City Airport Ltd runs the airport. It has been owned by a fund managed by the investment company 3i since 2017. Most flights are to other parts of the UK, and the airport says passengers take an average of six minutes to pass through security.

How to get to Belfast City Airport

By train

The airport is next to Sydenham station, a short walk along the Sydenham Bypass from the terminal. NI Railways trains from Sydenham run to Belfast Lanyon Place and Belfast Grand Central, which connect with rail services across Northern Ireland and to Dublin. Tickets can be bought from the conductor or in the mLink app.

To reach the station you have to cross a footbridge, so the airport advises passengers with reduced mobility, or who find steps difficult, to use another way of getting there. A courtesy bus to Sydenham station can be requested by calling 07502 769748.

By bus and coach

Translink's Airport Express 600 leaves from the front of the terminal for Belfast Grand Central Station in the city centre. At peak times it runs every 20 minutes, and the journey takes around 10 minutes. Tickets are sold at the machines in the bus shelter area and by the driver, who also accepts contactless payment. The buses are low floor and wheelchair accessible.

By road

The airport is on the Sydenham Bypass, and the Belfast City Airport address for sat nav is Sydenham Bypass, Belfast, BT3 9JH. There are three car parks on site.

Terminal and facilities

Facilities and services include:

• The Aspire Lounge, which has recently been refurbished
• Shops, cafés and bars in the departures lounge
• Free, unlimited Wi-Fi
• Special assistance for passengers with reduced mobility, with a dedicated phone line (+44 (0)28 9093 5247)
• Swissport's baggage service for mishandled or damaged bags
• An online form for reporting lost property

The Belfast City Airport contact number is +44 (0)28 9093 9093, an automated information line with options for different departments. The airport also runs a separate hotline for aircraft noise, and general enquiries can be sent through the form on its contact page.

Airlines and destinations

The route network is mostly domestic, with frequent flights to London and other British cities. Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Emerald Airlines, has the widest spread of routes, covering regional airports in England, Scotland and Wales plus the Isle of Man. British Airways flies to London Heathrow and London City, and easyJet serves several London airports, other UK cities and Palma de Mallorca in summer. KLM flies to Amsterdam, and Loganair flies to Aberdeen and Inverness.

There are also charter services run by TUI, Royal Caribbean and Top Flight for Schools. Connections at London and Amsterdam give access to long-haul flights. Some routes are seasonal, so check with the airline for current schedules.

History

The aircraft manufacturer Short Brothers set up the airfield at Sydenham beside its Belfast factory, and it opened on 16 March 1938. It served for a short time as Belfast's main civil airport before being taken over for military use during the Second World War. It stayed in military service in various forms until the late 1970s.

In 1983 the airfield opened for commercial flights as Belfast Harbour Airport, and it was later renamed Belfast City Airport. In 2006 it took its current name, George Best Belfast City Airport, in memory of the Belfast-born footballer. A fund managed by 3i bought the airport from the EISER Global Infrastructure Fund in a deal announced in December 2016 and completed in 2017.