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
Dublin Airport has dramatically leapt ahead of Belfast’s airports. Photo: Getty
Civil servants 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.