Aer Lingus will increase its services from Belfast City airport to Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh from October 31.
And later in the winter, passengers flying to Manchester will be able to connect to the carrier’s new services to Barbados, New York and Orlando.
The Belfast-Manchester service will increase from its current daily schedule to twice daily flights; Belfast to Heathrow will gain a further two services bringing it to the pre-pandemic level of 21 flights per week; and Belfast to Edinburgh will increase its daily schedule to 11 flights per week over the winter.
Fares to Manchester and Edinburgh start from £29.99 each way, while those to Heathrow cost from £39.99 each way, all including taxes and charges.
From November 3, the Belfast-Manchester flight EI 302 will connect with Aer Lingus’ new direct flight EI 031, from Manchester to Barbados, connecting Northern Irish customers to the Caribbean for the first time with Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus’ Manchester to Barbados route will operate three flights per week – on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday – to the end of April 2022. Fares start from £259 each way.
From December 1, Northern Irish customers will be able to connect on to Aer Lingus’ new direct services daily from Manchester to New York, JFK, and four weekly flights from December 11 from Manchester to Orlando. Fares start from £189 each way.
Susanne Carberry, chief customer officer at Aer Lingus, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide a significant increase in frequency from Belfast to London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh and be able to reconnect businesses, as well as friends and families in the UK that have been kept apart for too long. We are also excited to be able to connect Northern Irish customers with our new Manchester routes to Barbados, New York, JFK and Orlando.”
Katy Best, commercial director at Belfast City airport, added: “This is a really strong schedule from Aer Lingus that will serve passengers extremely well throughout the winter months as they resume business travel and embark on more non-essential leisure trips.
“With a twice daily service to Manchester, passengers can benefit from same-day travel options, and the return to pre-pandemic frequency for the Heathrow service is a reflection of the increased demand for travel to and from London.”