THE announcement of plans for a £30 million sterling development of Belfast City Airport has been welcomed across the political spectrum. Bombadier Aerospace, the airport's Canadian parent company, yesterday published proposals to build "world-class facilities", including a new terminal.
The two-storey 8,500sq m building will encompass a departures hall with 20 check-in desks, compared to 14 at present. The terminal will include a restaurant and bar area and three business lounges.
An application for the development will be lodged next week. Work on the first phase is expected to be completed within the year. There will be 200 new jobs during construction and also an increase in employment in the airport.
The new terminal will be built half a mile east of the existing facility. New short and long-stay car parks will be provided. There are also plans to build a new railway station with a direct pedestrian link. Last year, Belfast City handled 1.3 million passengers compared to 2.6 million at Belfast International Airport.
Mr John Doran, the director of Belfast City, said the new terminal would accommodate up to two million passengers. Bombardier's vice-president, finance, Mr James Stewart, said the investment would take the airport into the millennium.
The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, attended the announcement. He said: "As we all look forward to a new era, I hope that more companies like Bombardier Aerospace will invest with us in the future of Northern Ireland." The SDLP's economics spokesman, Mr Sean Farren, said the development was "symbolic of the new era into which we are about to move".