RAF Ballyhalbert

The airport, a Royal Air Force station, was closed due to the end of World War II. With the cessation of hostilities, there was a massive-scale demobilization and a significant reduction in the need for military airfields across the UK. RAF Ballyhalbert, having fulfilled its strategic wartime purpose, was deemed surplus to requirements and was placed on 'care and maintenance' before being officially closed and sold off.

The site is no longer an airport and is primarily used for civilian purposes. The majority of the former airfield is now occupied by the Ballyhalbert Holiday Park, one of the largest static caravan parks in Northern Ireland. The original runway layout is still clearly visible from the air, with the former runways and perimeter tracks now serving as roads and access ways within the caravan park and for local agricultural use. Some of the original wartime buildings, such as hangars and pillboxes, still exist on the site and surrounding land in various states of repair or have been repurposed.

RAF Ballyhalbert was a significant Class A airfield constructed in 1941. Its location on the eastern coast of the Ards Peninsula in County Down gave it a crucial strategic role during World War II. Its primary functions were twofold:

1. **Fighter Command Base:** It served as a key fighter station, primarily for the defense of Belfast and its vital shipyards and industries from Luftwaffe attacks. Numerous squadrons equipped with Spitfires and Hurricanes were based here, including No. 122, No. 130, No. 234, and No. 403 (RCAF) Squadrons.

2. **Coastal Command & Anti-Submarine Warfare:** The airfield was instrumental in the Battle of the Atlantic. It was used by RAF Coastal Command, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) for anti-submarine patrols over the Irish Sea and the Atlantic approaches. Its location provided an excellent base for aircraft protecting convoys from U-boat threats.

The airfield featured three concrete runways and was a major hub of military activity in Northern Ireland throughout the war.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RAF Ballyhalbert as an airport. The land has been privately owned and extensively redeveloped for leisure and residential use for many decades. The cost and logistical challenges of acquiring the land, removing the current infrastructure (the large caravan park), and rebuilding the airfield to modern standards would be prohibitive. Furthermore, there is no identified strategic or commercial need for another airport in this specific location, given the proximity of Belfast City (George Best) and Belfast International airports.