Flying from Belfast when you live in Ireland: an honest guide

Plenty of people in Ireland drive north for a flight, and it’s not hard to see why. Some days there’s a route that doesn’t leave Dublin, Cork or Knock at all, or at a time you can live with. Here’s what’s worth knowing before you point the car at the border.

Which Belfast airport?

• Belfast International (BFS): a single terminal at Aldergrove, about 18 miles north-west of Belfast off the M2 towards Antrim. easyJet has a big base there, and Jet2 and Ryanair fly from it too. Mostly UK and European leisure flights.
• George Best Belfast City (BHD): about 3 miles from the city centre, also a single terminal. It’s the handy one if you’re staying in Belfast, and it’s a different airport from the first one, with a different code on your booking.

They’re about half an hour apart. Check the code on your booking before you leave, not at the car park barrier. Ask me how I know.

Security

An August 2026 review of UK airport rules lists both Belfast International and Belfast City among the airports that allow individual containers of up to 2 litres. It says liquids can generally stay in your cabin bag, but individual restrictions still apply, for example some airports want metal or insulated bottles to be empty. It does not say whether laptops can stay in your bag, so don’t assume.

The catch: the airport you fly home from may have different rules. Pack for the stricter one.

Getting to Belfast International

• By car: off the M2 towards Antrim. Dublin to Belfast is roughly two hours in normal traffic, and the airport is on the far side of the city, so allow more on top of that.
• Parking: short-stay car parks are near the terminal and long-stay ones use a shuttle bus. Booking online beforehand is cheaper than paying on the day. There’s a charge for dropping off at the kerb, so check it before you rely on it.
• By bus: Translink’s Airport Express 300 runs from outside the terminal to Belfast Grand Central in about 30 to 40 minutes. There’s no railway station at the airport.
• Taxi: 30 to 45 minutes to the city depending on traffic, and priced as a longer journey.
• Early flight: there’s a Premier Inn on site.

Getting to George Best Belfast City

• Train: Sydenham station is about a ten-minute walk away, and a shuttle bus runs between the two.
• Bus: Translink’s Airport Express 600 runs to the city centre. Check the current timetable.
• Car parks: both short-stay and long-stay are described as expensive. If you can use public transport, do.
• Bags: size and weight limits are strictly enforced. Weigh them at home.

What people in Ireland should know

• Money: Northern Ireland uses pounds sterling, not euro. Cards are fine, but have a few pounds for parking machines and the odd coffee.
• ID: bring your passport. For flights to Europe you’ll need it, and airlines can ask for photo ID on flights between Ireland and the UK too.
• Driving: road signs and speed limits in the North are in miles and miles per hour. Check that your car insurance covers you there, and watch the tolls on the way north.
• The sums: add the petrol, tolls and parking to the fare before deciding it’s cheaper. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.
• Coming home: your car is waiting at the other end, so a late flight means a late drive. Plan for that, not just the outbound leg.

Cheap flight, dear drive, tired child. Do the sum properly before you book. A flight that saves you €40 and costs you €45 in petrol is just a day out with extra steps.

Where you can fly to

We don’t have route pages for Belfast yet. easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair all fly from Belfast International, mainly UK and European leisure routes, so check each airline’s own site for where and when. For the places we have covered, see the destinations or compare with the flight search.

Seven things nobody tells you

1. There are two Belfast airports. Check the code on your booking.
2. The airport at Aldergrove is nowhere near the city. Don’t pick a hotel by the word “Belfast”.
3. Add up the petrol, tolls and parking before you call it a bargain.
4. Bring a passport. Don’t gamble on a photocopy of anything.
5. Weigh your bag at home. They do check at City.
6. Take a photo of where you parked. Long-stay is a big field.
7. Pack for the stricter liquids rule. You might fly home from somewhere that has one.

Liquids information is from an August 2026 review of UK airport rules. Distances, bus services and parking are from airport and travel guides, some of them older, and prices have been left out because they change. Check the Belfast International and George Best Belfast City websites, and Translink, before you go.