EASYJET has reaffirmed its commitment to Belfast amid Brexit uncertainty, announcing a new winter route and the prospect of more to follow.
The low-cost airline announced yesterday that from October 30 it will fly to popular Morrocan resort, Marrakesh.
The twice a week service, operating on Wednesday and Saturday, is the first new route to be launched from Belfast International Airport this year and easyJet UK country director, Neil Slaven teased it may not be the only one.
"What you can say is we are now introducing new routes, we're looking at that portfolio in Belfast and if we hear from our passengers that there is demand for new destinations that easyJet doesn't yet fly to then we would be more than happy to add those to our network, " he told The Irish News.
"We've been in Northern Ireland for 24 years. Airlines come and go and you see changes in the market, but the point with easyJet is we're here for the long-term. Regardless of those business cycles we will continue to grow and invest in Northern Ireland and in Belfast and we see no reason why that should change in the future."
"We don't see Brexit affecting the ability of people to fly with easyJet whatsoever. We're completely prepared for Brexit so we wouldn't see that changing anything," Mr Slaven continued.
EasyJet, which currently operates 35 routes from Aldergrove, has enjoyed almost 10 per cent growth at its Belfast base in the last year, largely supplemented by business passengers, who make up a fifth of customers.
In addition to the new Marrakesh route the airline has also confirmed greater capacity on its popular European summer routes, namely; Malaga, Faro and Palmo, along with growth in its "backbone" domestic service.
The latter includes increased frequency on its services to London Stansted, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
"Belfast's a key hub for us," Mr Slaven said.
"One in five travels on business, so those business passengers are really important to easyJet. Belfast is actually one of our key business cities, because we provide almost a unique level of economic connectivity between Northern Ireland and the UK."
"We know we've got the right business networks in Belfast, really strong domestic connections, a number of international cities with good business frequencies and we're turning our attention to what really exciting, fun leisure cities can we offer and I think Marrakesh fits neatly in that bracket," he said.
Mr Slaven is confident the service to Marrakesh will prove as successful as it has been from other UK hubs, offering a mix of winter sun and historical culture.
"We look forward to the uptake we expect to get," he added.
Uel Hoey, business development director at Belfast International Airport, welcomed the "fantastic news" for local air travellers.
“Morocco has long been popular for local holidaymakers, particularly with its strong appeal during the winter months. Now easyJet will make access to this exciting destination infinitely easier, with the launch of these new direct Marrakesh flights from Belfast International Airport," he said.
A total of 16,000 seats are now on sale for the Belfast to Marrakesh route. Flights to the Moroccan resort will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the winter with fares starting from £26.99 one way per person.
