Belfast City Airport has announced it will commence services with Emerald Airlines, exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional, to the rest of the UK later this month.
In January, Emerald Airlines announced their new routes from Belfast City to:
- Birmingham
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Glasgow
- Leeds Bradford
- Manchester
Customers are now able to book flights to these locations and will be able to earn Avios points on all Aer Lingus Regional flights, providing continuity and benefits of the current services offered by both Aer Lingus and British Airways at Belfast City Airport.
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With fares starting at £36.99, the first phase of services will commence on March 24 to Birmingham.
Flights to Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford and Manchester will commence from March 27, with services from Belfast City to Glasgow and Exeter taking off from early May 2022.
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.
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.”
The new routes are the result of a long-term partnership announced between Belfast City Airport and Emerald Airlines.
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.
"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."
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