"Civil servants and ministers made clear they preferred to keep two smaller airports in Belfast rather than one regional hub airport, with one official saying he would rewrite consultants' report if necessary"
"Civil servants in Northern Ireland were told a quarter of a century ago that Dublin Airport would pull more and more passengers from Northern Ireland unless there was a single Belfast Airport - but they fought against that suggestion."
"Files declassified at the Public Record Office in Belfast show Stormont unease at a study commissioned by Whitehall's Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) which examined the future of air travel in Northern Ireland."
Declassified files reveal Stormont opposition to consolidating Belfast air services into a single regional hub. Officials and ministers expressed a clear preference to retain two smaller Belfast airports. One official indicated willingness to alter a consultants' report to support that preference. Historical analysis warned that Dublin Airport would increasingly attract passengers from Northern Ireland unless a single Belfast airport was established. The study was commissioned by Whitehall's Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The files show institutional unease with the study's implications for the future structure of air travel in Northern Ireland.
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