The number of passengers using Northern Ireland’s three main airports is on course to hit record levels in 2026, data analysed by The Irish News suggests.
A total of 4.556 million passengers flew in or out of Belfast International, Belfast City and City of Derry airports in the first half of this year.
The figures, published by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), make it the strongest ever start to the year for the north’s aviation sector.
The six month total surpasses the previous first half (H1) record of 4.398 million set last year.
However 2024 retains the record for the most passengers recorded in a single year, when 9.32 million flew from the north’s three airports.
The H1 total of 4.556 million for this year is 3.6% (157,666 passengers) up on the same period last year.
While Belfast International Airport was responsible for 3.2 million of those passengers, the CAA data shows the growth has been driven by all three airports.
Belfast City Airport saw its first half passenger count rise 7% year-on-year to 1.22 million, some 79,598 up on H1 2025.
It makes 2026 one of the City Airport’s strongest starts for more than a decade as it continues to recover the ground lost from the collapse of Flybe and the Covid-19 pandemic.
After peaking at 2.74 million passengers in 2010, the City Airport saw its numbers fall throughout following Ryanair’s withdrawal in late 2010.
Passenger numbers recovered to around 2.7 million in 2015, but fell year-on-year for the rest of the decade until the combination of coronavirus and the collapse of Flybe decimated terminal footfall.
Belfast City Airport recovered well in 2024 and 2025, with numbers reaching just under 2.4 million, but the H1 2026 data suggest activity is returning to levels last seen a decade ago.
City of Derry Airport is also experienced an increase in activity, with the 120,151 passengers recorded in the first half of this year 15.6% up on the same six months last year.
It sets the Eglinton terminal up for its strongest year since 2016, when 290,671 used the airport.
The return of Irish government-funded flights to Dublin later this year should boost numbers further.
But the North West airport has some way to go to reach the record numbers set around 2007 and 2008, when upwards on 400,000 used the terminal.
The number of people flying through Dublin Airport was also up 5.8% for the first half of the year, reaching 17.74 million.
It puts the airport on course to surpass last year’s record total of 36.4 million.
Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has previously estimated around 4% of its passengers travel from the north to fly, the equivalent of around 1.5 million over the year.
Original Source: The Irish News
