Emerald Airlines (the Aer Lingus Regional operator) has firmed up its Belfast network, with the first routes out of Belfast City Airport, as well as a launch date.
Emerald Airlines ATR72-600 in Aer Lingus Regional House Colours – Image, Emerald Airlines
Where can you fly from Belfast City Airport?
- Birmingham, Up to 3x daily, launching 24th March
- Leeds Bradford, Up to 3x daily, launching 27th March
- Manchester, Up to 2x daily, launching 27th March
- Edinburgh, Up to 2x daily, launching 27th March
- Exeter, Up to 5x weekly, launching 8th May
- Glasgow, daily, launching 8th May
Tickets can be booked through AerLingus.com and BA.com as needed. Lead-in fares start at £36.99 one-way when brought as part of a return fare.
Emerald’s commitment to Northern Ireland will ensure continuity of regional routes that have been operated previously by Aer Lingus and British Airways. Customers will continue to enjoy all the benefits through Aer Lingus and British Airways’ codeshare agreement with Emerald Airlines.
The new routes being launched are the result of a long-term partnership announced between Belfast City Airport and Emerald Airlines.
In Quotes
Commenting on the announcement, Conor McCarthy, CEO of Emerald Airlines said:
“Having already announced our services linking Belfast to Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds-Bradford and Exeter, we are delighted to go on sale from today with Aer Lingus and British Airways.
We want to be the airline of choice for customers travelling to and from Belfast City Airport, and with today’s announcement we are well positioned to deliver on that objective. We’re keen to build upon our announcement today, with more flights, destinations, and great fares to follow in the very near future.”
Reid Moody, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Aer Lingus said:
“Today marks another important day for Aer Lingus Regional services – it is good news for customers and good news for connectivity to / from Northern Ireland. Aer Lingus is looking forward to working with our partners at Emerald Airlines on future Aer Lingus Regional operations.”
Matthew Hall, Chief Executive at George Best Belfast City Airport said:
“This is excellent news for Northern Ireland and comes at a time when we are seeing an increasing demand for travel as we return to life without Covid restrictions.
The Aer Lingus Regional product is one with which our customers are familiar, and we’re thrilled that flights are bookable through both Aer Lingus and British Airways for added convenience. The ability to earn and spend Avios points with both airlines will be a welcome benefit for frequent fliers.
We are grateful to our airline partners for maintaining connectivity throughout the pandemic and now look forward to commencing our long-term partnership with Emerald Airlines which presents significant opportunities for additional routes and frequencies.”
Complimenting Mainline services
Aer Lingus and British Airways services to London City and London Heathrow from Belfast City Airport remain unchanged, operating either Airbus or Embraer equipment on their routes. Meanwhile, Emerald Airlines will continue to operate the ATR72-600 turboprop on the routes announced today (consistent with the regional airlines’ strategy).
The mainline aircraft will focus on the big destinations of London, whilst Emerald will take over regional connections.
Stepping up
Emerald Airlines’ big chance now comes into play, as the airline starts to spread its wings and operate a variety of services, as opposed to running Public Service Obligation flights.
As the airline continues to scale up and take over more regional services, it will be interesting to see how the airline adapts to that scaling and how its strategy – both operational and long term changes.
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