TWO George Best Belfast City Airport-user airlines are at odds over the plan to extend the airport's runway.

Belfast City's newest operator Ryanair is strongly supporting the proposal, with outspoken chief Michael O'Leary calling for planners to ignore protests from local residents.

Europe's biggest budget airline says it needs the extension to operate a number of new direct European services from Belfast City.

But Flybe, the airline with currently the most extensive network from the City, has questioned the need for a runway extension at all.

Said Flybe's Chief Executive Jim French: "We do not see the need for runway expansion at George Best and strongly believe that its future is as a regional airport.

"That's what it was designed for, not for huge, noisy aircraft to be thundering over the city, and we're not surprised that Ryanair are already talking about leaving City for Belfast International.

"We support the growth of regional aviation and expect the planning and regulatory authorities to re-assert the original intention of Belfast City and penalise big noisy jets, rewarding lower noise footprint regional aircraft."

However, Peter Sherrard, Head of Communications at Ryanair, declared: ""Why should Belfast's consumers be denied Ryanair's guaranteed lowest fares to the Continent just to protect Flybe's high fares to Britain?

"Perhaps, instead of whingeing about progress and development, Jim French should lower Flybe's fares to match Ryanair's.

"Ryanair's aircraft are far more environmentally efficient than Flybe's ageing fleet of aircraft, many of which British Airways offloaded with the sale of BA Connect".

And Michael O'Leary, speaking at a First Trust Business Breakfast in Belfast, urged the business community to press for the runway to be lengthened in order to boost tourism.

"We are working with the City Airport to get the runway extended. Let's get the planning permission through," he said, and described protests by some local residents as a "load of nonsense."

"We operate quieter aircraft and do not fly through the night, so nobody is going to have to suffer a noise penalty."

He said that if the runway was extended Ryanair would launch a number of direct flights to the Continent, including to destinations such as Brussels, Paris, Rome, Milan, Madrid, Frankfurt, Stockholm and Marseilles.

Flybe's Jim French added: "Northern Ireland is very important for us and I'm delighted to see our services from Belfast City go from strength to strength.

"While other airlines might come and go from Northern Ireland, Flybe has 24 years continuous service and I am proud of our 200 employees in the Province.

"I am also delighted that the Northern Ireland Assembly's recently published Programme for Government recognises that 'airports are vital gateways for movement of people and goods, and play an important part in our economy', which fits perfectly Flybe's long-standing commitment to Northern Ireland".