Flights from Birmingham to Belfast George Best City Airport
Birmingham is often considered the second city of England, and has a population of approximately 1,006,500. Birmingham has existed since around the 6th century and forged a reputation as an industrial powerhouse during the Industrial Revolution. It is now a major site for commerce, and is regarded as an extremely favourable place to locate a business in Britain.
Birmingham International Airport is a large airport located in the borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands. It is the primary airport serving the West Midlands, and Birmingham in particular. It is the sixth busiest airport in the UK and the second busiest not serving London, after Manchester International Airport. Used from the 1930s, Birmingham came under the control of the West Midland County Council in 1960, and has expanded ever since, being privatised in 1983 and being voted the best airport in Europe in the 5-10 million passenger category in 2007. As is the case with Birmingham through the years, there are ongoing plans to extend the runways and to make sure the airport can handle new jets such as the Airbus A380.
There are many flights from Birmingham to Belfast. The budget airline Flybe schedules 38 cheap Birmingham to Belfast flights a week, meaning that it is cheaper and easier to visit the city of Belfast through these flights.
George Best Belfast City Airport
George Best Belfast City Airport is the smaller of two airports serving Belfast, in Northern Ireland. The airport handled almost 2.2 million passengers in 2007. The area of the airport was originally used as an airport by the aerospace company Shorts in 1937, and only properly began commercial operations in 1983. In 2006, the airport was renamed as George Best Belfast City Airport in memory of the former Northern Irish footballer who died in 2005.
Parking
There is both short-term and long-term parking at Belfast City Airport. As with many airport car park services, if you book as soon as possible before your trip there is an opportunity for good discounts on the parking rates. It costs £45 for a week’s stay and £5.00 for any extra days after that. A shuttle bus service runs from the car park to the terminal and disabled parkers can use the short term car park for long term stays to ensure easy accessibility to the terminal.
Distance and Surrounding Area
The airport is situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast, the principal port in Northern Ireland. The airport itself is roughly two miles from the centre of Belfast.
Transport Links to Belfast
Belfast Airport is located on the A2 Sydenham bypass road. There is a taxi rank outside the terminal building and a journey to the centre of the city costs roughly £8.00. A shuttle bus takes passengers from the terminal to Sydenham rail halt, and it costs around £1.40 to get into Belfast Central or Victoria Street by train. From here you can pick up onward services to all over Ireland. To go by bus, the airport express number 600 runs every twenty minutes from Sydenham halt and costs £2.20. Also, the number 3 bus can be caught a five minute walk from the airport and runs every ten minutes into the centre of Belfast.
Conference and Business Facilities at George Best Belfast City Airport
Belfast City airport has a special Conference Suite located within the airport building itself. It consists of meeting rooms and two air-conditioned conference rooms, which can seat 24 people boardroom style and has a full range of audio and visual presentation equipment. There are also photocopying and secretarial services on-site, as well as varied catering options.
The City of Belfast
Settlements around the area of Belfast have existed since the Bronze Age and it grew as a truly substantial town during the Plantation of Ulster. Queen Victoria granted Belfast city status in 1888. In more recent years, Belfast was often rocked by the violence of The Troubles, though nowadays it is a truly peaceful city. There is plenty to see and do in Belfast, the beautiful Saint Anne’s Cathedral especially worth visiting. Also, history buffs can take a Titanic boat tour and view where the ill-fated liner was constructed. Belfast is also home to Queen’s University and Lisburn Road, widely considered ‘Belfast’s Bond Street’ and you can also view the botanical gardens and Belfast Castle. Finally, the Ulster Museum has great collections of art and exhibitions on Irish history, and is well worth a visit.
In short, Belfast is well on its way to becoming an important European city. These flights from Birmingham to Belfast will no doubt make it easier for people to visit Belfast, and to offer another travel option apart from ferries.