Ryanair has announced its return to Belfast International Airport with a “huge” summer schedule following the reopening of its base from Summer’23.
Ryanair will start with 12 routes from Belfast International, operating over 115 weekly flights. Destinations include Alicante, Faro, Barcelona-Girona and Malaga.
The airline will also launch domestic services to East-Midlands, Edinburgh, London-Stansted and Manchester.
Ryanair said its Belfast based fleet will comprise of 2 aircraft, representing a $200m investment and over 60 highly paid aviation jobs at Belfast International Airport and over 750 indirect jobs.
The airline said in a statement that the reopening will connect Belfast International to key cities such as Edinburgh, London-Stansted, Manchester, Milan-Bergamo and Paris-Beauvais.
With 12 routes to choose from for summer’23, Belfast International customers and visitors can already book a well-deserved getaway, flying on the lowest fares.
To celebrate its return to Belfast International, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares available from just £19.99 which must be booked by the end of July’22 for travel from April-June’23 on the Ryanair.com website.
From Belfast, Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness said:
“At a time when other airlines are cutting their schedules and reducing their workforce, we are delighted to announce a new Ryanair base at Belfast International Airport with 12 exciting routes and 2 based aircraft representing an investment of $200m at Belfast International and the creation of over 800 direct/indirect jobs.
“We are delighted to have reached a long-term agreement with Belfast International’s management, which will underpin future Ryanair growth at the Airport over the coming years.
“Today’s announcement, particularly our decision to launch close to 80 weekly domestic flights to/from East-Midlands, Edinburgh, London-Stansted and Manchester demonstrates that lower aviation taxes and competitive airport charges are the catalyst for long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity.”
Belfast International Airport’s Chief Financial Officer Dan Owens said:
“We welcome back Ryanair to Belfast International Airport, Northern Ireland’s leading airport.
The Airport plays a pivotal role and is a key asset in aviation and tourism recovery after a challenging couple of years.
“This is a significant investment, bringing job creation and positive news for our passengers and the region.
“It increases the number of destinations now available from the airport to over 70 domestic and international destinations, offering more choice than ever for travellers.
“The new base at Belfast International reflects VINCI Airports’ commitment to Northern Ireland.
“Improving connectivity for the region is key for the aviation sector and economic growth.
“VINCI Airports and Ryanair have a strong partnership and Belfast now brings the total of bases across our European network to six.”
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