Jet2holidays will base a fourth aircraft in Belfast next summer, increasing capacity by 39% and adding eight destinations, six of them exclusive to the operator.
A new Boeing 737-800 will join three existing 737-300s at the airport for summer 2018.
The expansion adds eight destinations to Jet2holidays’ programme. Six of them – Antalya, Madeira, Crete, Costa de Almeria, Naples and Paphos – are exclusive to the operator, while Malta and Rhodes are already offered by other carriers.
The new routes will take the number of destinations served by Jet2 from Belfast to 22.
Jet2holidays sales director Alan Cross said: “Belfast has been growing nicely over the past few years so it’s now time to put a big push on there.
“Travel agents represent over 40% of bookings so almost one in every two is made via an agent.
“We really find that in Northern Ireland it’s all about independents.
“Customers there love the personal touch and being served by an agent they know, and whose name is often above the door.
“It’s all about face-to-face business, which is why we are planning even more support on the back of this announcement for joint marketing activity for agents in the region.”
Asked if Jet2holidays would be offering a booking incentive to mark the launch, Cross said: “We don’t tend to do that. I would rather offer marketing money to help an agent grow their business than just buy sales in the short-term and then lose the business again just as quickly.
“We are about building and developing lasting relationships with independents. We want to work together to make agencies more successful so the individual agents reap the rewards.”
Cross revealed the Jet2 mobile agency, which agents can partner to take to local events or locations where footfall is likely to be high, had already been to Northern Ireland once and was booked to visit twice again this summer in tie-ups with other agents.