Andy Jolly, Managing Director of Stobart Air, Economy Minister Diane Dodds, David Shepherd, Chief Commercial Officer at Aer Lingus, and Brian Ambrose, Chief Executive at Belfast City Airport 

Routes from Belfast City Airport to Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Exeter to commence from 27 August.

Stobart Air, operator of Aer Lingus Regional routes, will base five ATR72-600 aircraft at Belfast City Airport and plan to operate over 200 flights weekly to and from Belfast. Stobart Air operates 30 Aer Lingus Regional routes from bases in Dublin, Cork and Belfast.

Stobart Air will operate a high frequency schedule with convenient flight times to facilitate passengers, providing essential connectivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Commenting on the announcement, Brian Ambrose, CEO of Belfast City Airport said the new base would significantly enhance the Aer Lingus network from Northern Ireland.

He continued;

“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 from 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.

“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.”