Image copyright Swissport Image caption Swissport said the jobs will include positions in passenger check-in as well as baggage and freight handling

Worldwide cargo handling business Swissport is creating 100 new jobs in an expansion of its operations at Belfast International Airport.

Swissport said the jobs will include positions in passenger check-in as well as baggage and freight handling.

The salaries of the new posts average out at £16,000.

The expansion will bring its workforce at Belfast International to about 350, making it the biggest employer at the airport.

Image caption The expansion will bring its workforce at Belfast International to about 350, making it the biggest employer at the airport

Swissport said its expansion was based on planned airline growth, with Ryanair due to begin operating a new hub at Aldergrove later this year.

"These jobs are demand driven," said the airport's operations director Alan Whiteside.

"The fact they do not depend on a single penny of support from the government means we are seeing a win-win for the wider economy and the taxpayer," he added.

Earlier this month, security company ICTS announced it was taking on 40 extra staff at the International, partly because of Ryanair's arrival.