BHDmedium airport

George Best Belfast City Airport

Belfast, United Kingdom

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Routes out

Destinations

ICAO

EGAC

Elevation

15 ft

The gateway in a glance

The Essence of George Best Belfast City Airport

BHD

Location

Belfast · NIR · United Kingdom

Connectivity

21 routes · 18 destinations

Position

54.618°, -5.872° · 15 ft elev.

Visa & Entry

UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), Standard Visitor VisaOfficial

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A closer look

Living guide content for George Best Belfast City Airport — read or listen in 46+ languages.

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TravelerPulse profile

Belfast's city-centre airport named after a football legend.

Opened

1938

Location

Belfast, United Kingdom

George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD) is a commercial airport situated on the eastern shore of Belfast Lough, approximately 5 kilometres from Belfast city centre in Northern Ireland. It occupies a compact site bounded by the lough and residential areas, limiting its runway length and overall capacity compared to Belfast International Airport. The airport was renamed in 2006 in honour of Northern Ireland's most celebrated footballer, George Best. It primarily serves short-haul destinations across the United Kingdom and selected European cities, making it the preferred choice for business travellers due to its proximity to the city centre. Operating under a public use agreement, the airport has historically been subject to restrictions on aircraft size and operating hours, though these have been reviewed over the years. It handles several million passengers annually and is served by a small number of airlines operating frequent domestic and European routes.

Terminals

The airport has a single terminal building handling all passenger departures and arrivals.

Getting to & from

The airport is accessible by public bus services, taxis, and private car, with Belfast city centre reachable in roughly 10 to 15 minutes by road.

Airlines here

Major airlines operating from BHD include British Airways and Aer Lingus, with Flybe historically being a significant carrier prior to its cessation.

Notable facts

›Renamed George Best Belfast City Airport in 2006 to honour the legendary Northern Irish footballer.
›The runway length is restricted to approximately 1,829 metres, limiting the types of aircraft that can operate there.
›Located just 5 km from Belfast city centre, making it more convenient for urban travellers than Belfast International.
›The airport operates under a planning agreement that historically imposed restrictions on night flights and passenger numbers.
›It sits on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, with the waterway bordering the northern edge of the airfield.

Official website Wikipedia

This profile is provided for general information only. Details may be inaccurate or outdated — always verify with the airport's official website before acting on them.

Route map (18 destinations)

Leaflet © OpenStreetMap © CARTO

Airlines serving this airport

BAL Bashkirian Airlines

Star1 Airlines

Routes

BHD → LHRAA · 319

BHD → LHRBA · 319

BHD → MANBE · E75 DH4

BHD → GLABE · DH4

BHD → INVBE · DH4

BHD → BHXBE · DH4 E75

BHD → CWLBE · DH4

BHD → EDIBE · DH4

BHD → EMABE · DH4

BHD → ABZBE · DH4

BHD → EXTBE · DH4

BHD → LBABE · DH4

BHD → NCLBE · DH4

BHD → SOUBE · DH4

BHD → FAOEI · 320

BHD → AGPEI · 320

BHD → LHREI · 319

BHD → LGWEI · 320 319

BHD → PMIEI · 320 319

BHD → LHRIB · 319

BHD → IOMV9 · L4T

Aircraft operating here

De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 Dash 8Q12 routes Airbus A3196 routes Airbus A3204 routes Embraer 1752 routes L4T1 routes

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City & Place Guide

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Passport, Visa & Immigration

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Encyclopaedia

Belfast City Airport, formally George Best Belfast City Airport, is an international airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated in County Down, it is adjacent to the Belfast Harbour and is three miles from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Spirit AeroSystems aircraft manufacturing facility. The airport began commercial operations in 1983, and was known as "Belfast City Airport" until it was renamed in 2006 in memory of George Best, the professional footballer from Belfast. The airport has a CAA public use aerodrome licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

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