Alastair Jamieson

Review of Belle Air

Simple but very backward compared to others in the...

Simple but very backward compared to others in the region. It doesn t have any jet bridges so every flight is boarded by bus in a free-for-all that means everyone gets the Ryanair treatment no matter if you re in a wheelchair, have children or traveling in business class. Airside shops are grossly overpriced and cash-only. Also, it doesn t have the technology for online checkin, putting it behind most comparable airports in Africa or India.

Of greater concern is that I witnessed a security breach in which three passengers took advantage of a distracted security employee to walk through the security check, carrying their bags and wearing jackets, unnoticed. I pointed this out to staff but they thought I was just arguing with them so I gave up. This would be grounds for an instant inspection failure by EU regulators.

Nice views from the apron, business lounge is surprisingly good compared to the rest of the airport.

Corntrary to a recent review, it is not less than 20m from the city centre, except maybe at midnight. More like 40m during the day.

Immigration and customs staff are aggressive and uninterested.