Flights to Belfast

Flights to Belfast from all airports

Belfast Newsletter

Please enter your name and email address to receive our exclusive Belfast features and offers newsletter
Email
First Name
Last Name
 

Flying to Belfast

There are a variety of different ways to get to Belfast, but, for most people, by far the quickest and most convenient way is by plane. The city has two busy airports, Belfast International and Belfast City (also known as George Best Belfast City Airport), both within easy reach of the city centre - and here, in digestible form, you will find all the facts you need to begin planning your trip.

Belfast International Airport, located 13 miles northwest of the Belfast central, is Ireland's second largest airport (after Dublin), and offers around 50 scheduled destinations. This means that people can fly in not only from cities all around the British Isles and Europe, but also from far-flung places such as Toronto.

Travellers wishing to save their pennies by opting for a cheaper flight are in luck, as many low-cost airlines fly to Belfast International. easyJet, with its familiar orange-liveried aircraft, operates flights from Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted and Newcastle, as well as numerous European cities including Amsterdam and Paris; Bmibaby flies from Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands and Manchester; Jet2.com flies from Blackpool, Leeds Bradford, and various airports in France and Spain; and Wizz Air flies in from Poland.

Aer Lingus, Ireland's national airline, operates flights from London Heathrow - meaning maximum convenience for those travelling to Belfast from the English capital.

Also on offer are flights by the likes of Air Transat, Zoom, Flyglobespan and Continental Airlines from North America.

Belfast International is connected with the centre of the city by a 24-hour bus service, the Airport Express 300, with departures leaving every ten minutes throughout the day. There is also a train station six miles away, and taxi booking and car hire are straightforward.

George Best Belfast City Airport is located just two miles from the city centre, adjacent to the Port of Belfast, on the A2.

Visitors flying in from London can opt for a bmi flight from Heathrow or a CityJet for Air France service from London City Airport (located in the Docklands). Alternatively, Flybe and Ryanair fly from Gatwick and Stansted respectively.

Flybe also flies from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Doncaster Sheffield, Edinburgh, Exeter, Galway, Glasgow, Inverness, Jersey, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Newquay and Southampton, as well as Paris and Rennes. Popular low-coster Ryanair also flies to Belfast City from, East Midlands, Glasgow Prestwick and Liverpool, as do Aer Arann (from Cork), Euromanx (Isle of Man), and Manx2 (Blackpool, Isle of Man).

Getting to the centre of the city couldn't be easier - buses operate every 20 minutes (the Airlink costs £2.20 return), and the wheelchair-friendly taxis cost £6 one-way. There is also a train service, from the nearby station at Sydenham, and all the major car hire companies have a presence here (Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and National).

With such a great array of sights and sounds, it is little surprise that Belfast is taking off as a tourist destination. The political murals, the Botanic Gardens, St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast Castle and the Titanic tour at the Lagan docks are all popular. A historical city with a plethora of cutting-edge bars and restaurants, together with top acts appearing at world-class venues like the Odyssey Arena and the Waterfront Hall, is obviously very attractive!
03 April 2008