Smokers at airport charged œ1 for quick puff before take off

Irish Sun (ANI) Saturday 7th May, 2011

Smokers who wish to light up before they fly away from Belfast International Airport are being charged 1 pound to do so to pay for a "designated smoking area".

The non-smoking airport said it had responded to a need for a place where passengers could smoke after checking in but that the cost of the "specialist facility" would be covered by those who used it.

"We recognised that there was a demand for a smoking facility from some customers given that all public places (including airports) are now, and have been for a number of years, non-smoking," the Daily Mail quoted the airport as saying in a statement explaining the tobacco tax.

"However, providing a specialist facility for a relatively small number of users is expensive to build and to maintain so it is not unreasonable that a small charge should be levied for the use of the facility," it stated.

Those looking for a calming nicotine fix will be able to slot a 1 pound coin into a machine, which operates the doors of the smoking area.

Although the move is unlikely to please some smokers, it has gone down surprisingly well with pro-smoking organisation Forest, which has welcomed the move. (ANI)