Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Belfast International Airport (EGAA) lies some 11.5 nautical miles northwest of Belfast in County Antrim, on the site of the former RAF Aldergrove. It is Northern Ireland's principal international airport, offering two full-length hard runways with ILS approaches, and remains an interesting VFR destination for simulator pilots given its long military and civil heritage.
Belfast International Airport, known by the ICAO code EGAA, serves the city of Belfast from a site near the village of Aldergrove in Antrim and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. It is the principal airport for the region, handling the bulk of scheduled traffic, with easyJet as its largest operator, and it holds a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence permitting both public transport flights and flying instruction. For a simulator pilot the field is notable for its dual heritage as both a major civil gateway and a former RAF station, and for its substantial, well-equipped runway system.
The airport sits in Northern Ireland at coordinates 54.6575 N, 6.2158 W, at an elevation of 233 feet, roughly 11.5 nautical miles northwest of Belfast city centre. It is one of two airports serving the capital, the other being Belfast City (George Best) Airport to the east.
Belfast International has two physical runways. The main runway, 07/25, is 9081 feet long with a hard, lit surface and carries an ILS on the 25 approach. The secondary runway, 17/35, has a hard, lit surface with a length of 6170 feet on the 17 direction, which is served by an ILS, and 5886 feet on the reciprocal 35 direction.
Approach can be contacted on 128.5 MHz, with the ATIS broadcast on 128.2 MHz. Ground movements are handled on 121.75 MHz and the Tower on 118.3 MHz. A radar/director service is available on 120.9 MHz, and airport operations can be reached on 26.48 MHz. Instrument approaches are supported by ILS frequencies of 110.9 MHz for runway 17 and 109.9 MHz for runway 25.
The airfield originated as RAF Aldergrove, taking its name from the nearby village of Aldergrove in County Antrim, and it was known simply as Aldergrove Airport until 1983. In 1971 Northern Ireland Airports Limited was formed to operate and develop the site, overseeing a major programme of upgrades to runways, taxiways and the parking apron, along with a new International Pier, lounge facilities and additional apron space to separate general aviation traffic from larger commercial jets. During this period British Airways launched the first Belfast to London Heathrow shuttle service, and the airport's first Boeing 747 operated a charter service to Toronto via Shannon. Following its 1983 renaming to Belfast International, the airport was capable of all-weather operations and was handling some of the largest civil aircraft then in service; by 1985 passenger numbers had reached 1.5 million, with British Midland International entering competition with British Airways on the Heathrow route. The airfield was shared for many years with the RAF station of the same name, which closed in 2008; that facility is now known as the Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station, Aldergrove, and both runways are today owned by the airport.
Belfast International continues to operate under a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence covering both public transport flights and flying instruction, with easyJet as Northern Ireland's largest airline and principal user of the field. The airport has continued to invest in its infrastructure, including a new security hall completed in 2024 as part of a wider multi-year investment programme. General aviation movements share the airfield alongside scheduled commercial traffic, and prior permission is required for visiting light aircraft.
