[7] The airfield at Sydenham continued to be used for military purposes until the 1970s (reverting to RAF Belfast in 1973 and closing in 1978),[9] including a period of use by the Fleet Air Arm as a naval aircraft storage unit.

The new name, George Best Belfast City Airport, and signage were revealed at the renaming ceremony attended by Best's family and friends on 22 May 2006, which would have been Best's 60th birthday.

[3] The renaming of the airport caused controversy, with many articles in local and national print media highlighting the mixed feelings of Belfast residents.

[15] Also in March 2006 Flybe announced that it would be naming its Belfast City – Manchester service after the footballer, dedicating a plane to him.

The airline closed its Belfast City base in 2010 due to delays in the planned runway extension.

[16] In January 2010 easyJet commenced flights to London Luton, though the airline moved the route back to Belfast International in 2011.

In January 2011 Bmibaby moved its Belfast base to the airport, in order to keep its operation under one roof with sister airline BMI.

[21] In early 2017, Eastern Airways commenced flights to the Isle of Man following the demise of Citywing, though the airline axed the route in 2018.

[28] Ryanair resumed flying from the airport after a hiatus of around 11 years, on 1 June 2021,[29] but announced in late August 2021 that it would withdraw from Northern Ireland altogether in September 2021, in protest at the UK's Air Passenger Duty, and the lack of post-Covid incentives for airlines.

[30] In March 2022, Emerald Airlines,[31] the new operator of Aer Lingus Regional flights, announced that they would be opening a base at the airport.

On the 16 March 2022, the new Flybe announced that the airport would become their second operating base following their spring relaunch, with flights going on sale the following week.

[34] In October 2022, it was announced that Aer Lingus operations between Belfast City and London Heathrow would transfer to Aer Lingus UK due to Brexit related requirements that a European carrier could no longer fly domestic routes within the United Kingdom.

[38] As the airport is adjacent to residential areas, the issue of noise pollution is a major source of public debate.

The airport applied for a complete removal of the limit on the seats it could sell in 2013[39] – a key element of the 1997 planning agreement, which was designed to guard against over-expansion.