Easyjet flies from Belfast International to Amsterdam

Hauling heavy luggage around UK airports and waiting hours for a connecting flight to mainland Europe is all too familiar for many Northern Ireland travellers.

So the potential of new direct routes from Belfast to major European destinations can only be a welcome prospect for many flyers.

While Northern Ireland's two main airports - Belfast International and Belfast City - are keen to increase the number of direct European flights, they have different expectations of how successful these would be.

Belfast International Airport Managing Director Albert Harrison says the Northern Ireland catchment area is sufficient to sustain new routes.

However, Mr Harrison's opposite number at Belfast City Airport - Brian Ambrose - feels Northern Ireland's population is "a constraining factor" over direct services to mainland Europe.

BELFAST INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULED ROUTES Aberdeen Amsterdam Birmingham Bristol Brussels Cardiff Edinburgh Glasgow Leeds Bradford Liverpool London Gatwick London Luton London Stansted Manchester Newcastle Prague Teeside

While the province is well-served by routes into Britain, it is badly-served into continental Europe and long-haul into the United States, says Mr Harrison.

"Dublin has 53 cities in mainland Europe and the US - Northern Ireland has got Amsterdam, a new route to Prague starting and a small business service to Brussels starting in April," he says.

Belfast International has the re-establishment of a London Heathrow service as one of its goals and is exploring the possibility of a service to New York, as well as two further airports in the UK.

Mr Harrison feels there is enough of an appetite among Northern Ireland travellers to satisfy new routes, including Paris, several German cities and Barcelona.

Belfast International expects to exceed four million passengers in this financial year and, with its expansion plans, says it can cope with 10 million.

The airport does not aspire to go into the long-haul and cargo sectors or to become a 24-hour operation Brian Ambrose Belfast City Airport

Earlier this month, low cost airline Jet2 confirmed it would offer a service from Belfast to Prague from the end of April.

In January, Primeflight announced it would begin a twice daily service from Belfast to Brussels with further European destinations planned for later in the year.

However, Belfast City Airport's Brian Ambrose says Northern Ireland's small population means "to sustain daily services (to Europe) 365 days a year is a challenge".

While further direct services to Europe will be established, there will "not be explosive growth" in the sector, he says.

Flybe is set to start new routes from Belfast City to Edinburgh and Glasgow from next month.

Earlier this month, Aer Arann announced it would be starting a new service between Cork and Belfast City Airport. It follows the collapse of Jet Magic, which ceased trading in January.

At the City Airport, management insists it will only be seeking a "moderate increase" in late night flights under a review of the airport's planning restrictions which is currently under way.

BELFAST CITY AIRPORT SCHEDULED ROUTES Birmingham Blackpool Bristol Cork Edinburgh Glasgow Leeds Bradford London City London Gatwick London Heathrow Manchester Newcastle Southampton

The management says there may be demand for a maximum of three or four services after the airport's current cut-off at 2130 GMT.

About 1.95m passengers used the airport last year and it forecasts 5% growth this year.

Mr Ambrose says the airport does not aspire to go into the long-haul and cargo sectors or to become a 24-hour operation.

'Length of runway'

Former enterprise minister Sir Reg Empey has warned the airport's operators "not to push their luck with local residents".

"While I and others value the airport as a local employer, a balance has been struck between the needs of the travelling public and the rights of local residents.

Flybe announced new flights from Belfast City Airport

"This balance would be upset if the airport tried to push through any further developments."

Terry Bunce, a lecturer in the School of the Built Environment at the University of Ulster, says while the City Airport has sufficient facilities in place to provide international routes, one of its disadvantages is the length of its runway.

He says the late night curfew at the airport had been introduced because of perceived noise levels, but that the new generation of aircraft were now much quieter.

The success or failure of routes out of Belfast depended on cost-structures and how they were marketed, said the lecturer.

"For example, with the Belfast-Glasgow route there had been three to four flights a day and when Go and Easyjet took over this was increased to seven and passenger numbers went sky-high."