As of 2014, it was proposed that Aldergrove railway station could be reopened to serve Belfast International Airport. As the Lisburn–Antrim railway line is closed, plans for a station to serve the airport (a few hundred yards away) are aspirational. The Department for Regional Development Railway Investment Prioritisation Strategy stated in 2014 that a "re-opened Antrim to Knockmore/Lisburn line could also present an opportunity to establish a rail link to Belfast International Airport (BIA), although such investment is less likely to be economically viable until airport passengers grow to at least 10 million. Passenger throughput in 2013 was just 4 million. Given the important role of BIA as a gateway into Northern Ireland for tourism and inward investment, a feasibility study should be undertaken to consider investment in a rail link if passenger numbers grow towards 10 million by 2030 as predicted by the airport operator."[1] By 2019, passenger numbers had grown to 6,278,563,[2] before dropping to 4,818,214 in 2022.[3]