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Aer Lingus Regional flexes muscle with new Belfast City to Glasgow service

The new Glasgow service will extend the Aer Lingus Regional hub at Belfast City Airport to nine routes.
The new Glasgow service will extend the Aer Lingus Regional hub at Belfast City Airport to nine routes. The new Glasgow service will extend the Aer Lingus Regional hub at Belfast City Airport to nine routes.

AER Lingus is to expand its regional hub at Belfast City Airport further by adding a new route to Glasgow from July 1.

Operated by Stobart Air, the Aer Lingus Regional hub will now fly to nine destinations this summer.

But the new addition comes at the expense of Scottish regional rival Loganair, which has now pulled its Belfast City Airport to Glasgow service.

The joint Aer Lingus and Stobart enterprise, which was launched last summer with six routes, is now taking on anchor airline status at the city airport, a role previous fulfilled by Flybe until its collapse last year.

The failed regional airline had operated 14 destinations from Belfast City Airport at the time of its administration in early March 2020.

In all, Aer Lingus will operate ten routes at the airport, including the London Heathrow service, which it runs alongside its IAG sister airline British Airways.

The expansion comes at a time when rival Irish airline Ryanair has pull all flights from Northern Ireland into Britain amid a row with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Stobart Air said the new Glasgow route will initially operate daily, with 11 flights weekly, increasing to 19 flights each week in August.

The Aer Lingus Regional hub at Belfast City Airport now includes flights to Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds Bradford, and Manchester. Flights to Cardiff and Newquay will launch on June 28.

Earlier this month the Department for the Economy announced plans for a new scheme to support airlines in a bid to boost air connectivity with Britain.

Stobart Air managing director, Andy Jolly yesterday called on the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to support the industry and work with industry stakeholders on a plan and timeline for the resumption of safe air travel.

“In light of the successful Covid-19 vaccination rollout allowing air travel to increase safely, we are pleased to add this new route from Glasgow to Belfast to our route network, which will cater to both business and leisure travellers with direct, convenient, and cost-effective flights,” he said.

“We are committed to providing our passengers with frequent, convenient, and affordable services through our regional connections. We look forward to welcoming our staff and customers onboard this new route.”