Belfast International Airport recorded its busiest ever year in 2024, new figures published by its French owner shows.
Vinci Airports said 6.757 million passengers flew in and out of the Co Antrim terminal last year.
It marked a 13% increase on the airport’s performance in 2023 and crucially, it took passenger numbers well above the 6.285 million recorded in 2019, its last full year before Covid-19 caused significant disruption to the aviation industry.
Belfast International’s previous annual passenger record stood at 6.286 million from 2018.
The latest figures from Vinci suggest its Northern Ireland airport enjoyed its busiest ever fourth quarter.
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Passenger numbers in the final three months of 2024 increased 8.4% year-on-year to 1.562 million.
It meant the number of passengers flying in the fourth quarter of 2024 was 18% higher than the same quarter in 2019.
The recent increase in winter activity at the airport follows the expansion of Ryanair’s operations, while Aldergrove’s anchor airline EasyJet also ran its busiest ever programme at Belfast International in 2024.
Ryanair said it reallocated around 50,000 seats to Belfast International before Christmas due to the annual cap of 32 million passengers mandated for Dublin Airport.
It’s thought the closure of Holyhead Port following the damage caused by Storm Darragh on December 7 also increased demand for pre-Christmas air travel last month.
The increase in activity at Belfast International Airport came as it opened its new ground floor arrivals hall in December.
It marked the latest instalment of a £25 million upgrade of the terminal, linked to its investment in new security measures.
