Aer Lingus Regional to Base Five Aircraft in Belfast
Stobart Air, operator of Aer Lingus Regional, are to base five ATR72-600 aircraft at Belfast City Airport starting from 27th August. Six routes will be launched to Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Exeter. The routes will begin on a phased basis in line with passenger demand. Belfast City to Edinburgh will begin on the 27th August followed by Exeter the next day. Flights to Manchester and Birmingham will operate from 14th September and to East Midlands and Leeds Bradford from 1st October. These routes will amount to over 200 flights per week for the airport. Most were previously operated by FlyBe.
Brian Ambrose, Chief Executive at Belfast City Airport, said: “Despite an extremely challenging environment, we’re delighted that Aer Lingus is to establish a new base and significantly enhance its UK network from Belfast City. As an island off an island, air connectivity with the rest of UK is critical to the enabling the Northern Ireland economy’s recovery. This announcement is testament to the recent investments by our shareholder in making the airport and its facilities best in class, exceeding passengers’ expectations in a location only five minutes form the centre of Belfast.”
Commenting on the announcement, Andy Jolly, Managing Director at Stobart Air, said: “Working with Belfast City Airport and our partners, Aer Lingus has been part of that journey and we are pleased to establish a base at Belfast City. Through six routes, we are committed to providing essential connectivity between Belfast and rest of the UK, while we will continue to be guided by the official Government guidance.
“High frequency day-return flights from Belfast City Airport to key cities across the UK will facilitate business and leisure travellers. Through our long-term franchise partnership with Aer Lingus, Stobart Air operates 30 routes to key destinations across Ireland, the UK and France, and we look forward to ongoing success with our franchise partner.
“Enhanced health and safety measures in line with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the WHO, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)have been implemented to protect our customers and our staff. We continuously strive to provide our passengers with frequent, convenient and affordable services through our regional connections. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board these routes from Belfast City.”
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor, Type Rating Examiner and Base Training Captain on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He is also an instructor and EASA Examiner on single engines and a UK CAA Examiner. He flies the Chipmunk for the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF). Mark became the Chairman of the National Microlight Association of Ireland (NMAI) in 2013 and has overseen a massive growth in the organisation. In this role he has worked at local and national levels. In 2015, Mark won ‘Upcoming Aviation Professional Award’ at the Aviation Industry Awards sponsored by the IAA. Mark launched this website back in 2002 while always managing the website, he has also been Editor and Deputy Editor of FlyingInIreland Magazine from 2005 to 2015.
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