In the wake of flyBe’s collapse, Emerald Airlines is to add additional capacity (as well as a sale) out of Belfast City Airport.
The airline operates flights on behalf of Irish operator Aer Lingus under the Aer Lingus Regional brand.
It is adding over 15,000 seats across its existing network from Belfast City, including services to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds-Bradford, Manchester and Glasgow.
With additional seats being introduced within the next week, the airline is in the midst of expanding its services on its existing route network as it progressively bolsters its Summer 2023 Schedule.
Emerald Airlines will add 180,000+ extra seats this Summer from Belfast City Airport. There’s also a flash sale to support this until the 2nd of February with 30% off flights for travel between the 1st of February – the 31st of March 2023 (which should cover the dates that some may be stranded by).
Recruiting too
More heartening is that Emerald Airlines is hosting a recruitment event Thursday and Friday, the 2nd and 3rd of February in Maldron Hotel, Belfast. It will open roles for Direct Entry Captains, Co-Pilots, and Cabin Crew to be based at Belfast City Airport.
In Quotes
Conor McCarthy, Executive Chairman of Emerald Airlines, said:
“We are developing and executing a comprehensive plan to ensure the continuation of reliable, cost-effective and sustainable air travel from Belfast City Airport. Emerald Airlines are stepping up, safeguarding connectivity between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as we have done for the past 12 months.
We are also eager to recruit former Flybe crew members to join our wonderful team at Belfast and will be actively engaged in interviewing candidates over the next week. We know how distressing this situation must be for all concerned, and our hearts go out to those who have lost their jobs over the weekend.”
Filling in the small flyBe gap
Whilst flyBe’s numbers are small, it is enough for Emerald Airlines to soak up and fill their ATR72-600 fleet, it seems the airline is making the effort to hoover up the customers.
Emerald has had a bit of a head start from flyBe, after being formed to compete and take over the previous Aer Lingus Regional franchisee – Stobart Air (another airline that collapsed).
There is positive news here – in terms of capacity for passengers, but also for those who worked for flyBe, with a new option for employment. There’s equally good news with easyJet and Ryanair also recruiting too.
Hopefully, some staff will get a soft landing and new roles soon enough and be up in the air again.
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