Business travellers are becoming more strategic with their time and travelling less but for longer periods, according to NI travel agents.
In the past, sales directors and teams might have taken three or four international trips a year but “now there is a trend of people who are travelling less, but getting more value for the time they are away”, Shauna Burns, managing director of Belfast-based Beyond Business Travel, says.
Local firms are combining business with leisure on international trips. “Corporate travellers are extending their business trips for personal time,” Shauna says. “We see a lot more people bringing their families, doing meetings and then having a holiday”. A survey of 1,000 SMEs in 2024, conducted by Censuswide, found that 48% planned to incorporate leisure time into business trips. “Bleisure” hybrid trips are facilitated in Northern Ireland through a thriving post-Covid travel network out of three airports: Belfast International Airport (BFS), George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD), and City of Derry Airport (CoDA).
Local airlines and airports are expecting a myriad of trends in 2025 across leisure and business. A Ryanair spokesperson told Ulster Business that Stansted, Edinburgh and Manchester are their most popular routes out of BFS. The airport is headed by chief executive Daniel Owens.
Demand with other airlines out of BHD for sunshine destinations such as Palma de Mallorca are performing “exceptionally well” in 2025, according to Katy Best, commercial director at the airport.
Aer Lingus, despite its recent cancellation of services between Belfast City and Newcastle in England, is offering “increased frequencies” to Edinburgh which has up to four daily flights, Manchester (up to three flights a day), and Birmingham (six daily). Alongside BHD’s British Airways flights to London City, easyJet fly from City Airport to London Gatwick and London Luton – bringing the total number of flights per day from BHD to London to 16.
In summer 2024, easyJet operated their “biggest ever flying programme in Northern Ireland, up 14% compared to the previous year, and we flew over 5.2 million customers,” says Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager. Over summer 2025, easyJet plan to operate 48 routes from BFS, BHD and CoDA to 13 countries across Europe and North Africa.
“We have increased our summer flying programme to Spanish beach destinations including Tenerife, Malaga, and Alicante by 15% from Belfast International compared to last year,” Ali continues. “Spain, Portugal, France, and Turkey are currently among the most popular destinations this summer.”
The airline extended four of its winter routes to operate throughout summer 2025, providing connectivity from CoDA to Liverpool and Edinburgh and BFS to Lanzarote and Prague. EasyJet is launching a new route from Belfast International to Reus in Spain on 5 April. Belfast City is continuing a new double daily KLM service to Amsterdam.
Katy Best at BHD notices “a growing appetite for international connectivity, especially via hubs such as Heathrow, Manchester, and Amsterdam”. Shauna Burns has seen an upswing in clients travelling to Singapore and Hong Kong. “South America and Rio de Janeiro are new trends,” says Shauna. “Entrepreneurs are negotiating deals in supply chain and sales. There are a lot of resilient manufacturing and tech businesses out there which we facilitate.”
TUI will meet some of this demand with a new route to Mexico from Belfast International that launches in June 2025. However, USA, “the most popular [international] travel destination” for people from Northern Ireland, according to Shauna, is underserviced. Outside a handful of flights from BFS to Orlando each summer, there are no direct flights to the US. The NI Executive’s Draft Programme for Government 2024-2027, published last September, commits to “work with the UK government to support pre-clearance between the United States and Belfast International Airport, promoting international investment and innovation.” A purpose-built facility, similar to the one in Dublin Airport, would allow passengers to undergo immigration and customs inspections prior to travelling to the US.
There have been no significant corridors between Belfast and the US since 2017 when United ceased its Newark to Belfast route (citing poor financial performance). Emma Little-Pengelly, Deputy First Minister, told the Executive last September the situation has changed due to “huge foreign direct investment from the US to Northern Ireland… When we speak to US investors, they want to invest more and they raise that issue about the connectivity and the direct flight. I think that is a priority for us.”
A spokesperson for the Department for the Economy (DfE) told Ulster Business they have explored “the possibility of extending pre-clearance services to Belfast International Airport” with the Department for Transport (DfT). “The DfT advised that the decision on whether to operate such facilities at airports overseas ultimately rests with US authorities. DfT has committed to entering into exploratory talks with the United States administration. DfE will do all they can to facilitate these discussions.”
Travellers – business travellers in particular – prioritise convenience in 2025, which works to the advantage of the strategically located City of Derry Airport and Belfast City. “Over 44% of our passengers travel for business,” Katy Best said.
“Our location [close to] the city centre, combined with our fast security processing times, allow business passengers to maximise their time and get to their destination faster. Fast track is so important to business travel.” BHD has streamlined passenger travel with improved parking options and drop-off and pick-up zones. Technology improves convenience too. Belfast City recently completed a £3m investment project which upgraded its security processing.
Convenience is matched with a demand for sustainable air travel. Business clients present sustainability strategies to Shauna Burns “and we work with them to build that into their travel policy. Before they book [a journey], we give them information about their flight route and the CO2 emissions they are going to generate. We can then offer them options for reduced carbon emissions and opportunities to offset emissions. We also give them the data to ensure they can meet their reporting compliance.”
Airports have increased their sustainability agendas. In 2020, Belfast City became the first airport in Northern Ireland to join the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. “We focus on maximising the use of renewable energy, minimising resource use and eliminating carbon emissions under our direct control,” Katy Best says. This includes the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel across their fleet of airside vehicles and equipment, a recent upgrade of main apron lighting to energy-efficient LED systems, and the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in parking areas. “Our sustainability efforts extend beyond the environment to our people and the community. Over the past 15 years, we have supported more than 226 local projects, raising over £651,000,” Katy says.
Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland are continuing a programme to support and drive demand for direct air (and sea) services to Northern Ireland. Last year Tourism Ireland partnered with easyJet, Ryanair, Stena Line, British Airways and Loganair and “will undertake similar activity in 2025”, according to a spokesperson.
And the passenger cap in Dublin, which limits the number of passengers who can pass through the airport to 32 million, may yet work in the region’s favour. Last October, Ryanair vowed to move additional routes to Belfast International due to restrictions in Dublin. The airline has yet to have a presence in BHD though. “I don’t believe there are any immediate plans to operate in Belfast City Airport,” a spokesperson said. ■