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EasyJet to double down on Belfast City Airport experiment with new Liverpool service

EasyJet has confirmed it will launch a new Belfast City Airport to Liverpool service in July.
EasyJet has confirmed it will launch a new Belfast City Airport to Liverpool service in July. EasyJet has confirmed it will launch a new Belfast City Airport to Liverpool service in July.

EASYJET has confirmed it will increase its presence at Belfast City Airport with a new service to Liverpool.

The flights linking Belfast’s George Best with Liverpool’s John Lennon airports will begin on July 1.

It comes one year after EasyJet returned to the city airport with a new service to London Gatwick.

The budget carrier had previously experimented with services at Belfast City Airport in 2010, but that ended a year later.

The new route means EasyJet will operate two separate services to Liverpool from both the international and city airports this summer.

The carrier shows no sign of downgrading its status as Aldergrove’s anchor airline, and has again repeated its forecast that passenger numbers will return to pre-covid levels this summer.

That’s despite the travel industry being hit by widespread staff shortages, which have resulted in hundreds of flights being cancelled and chaotic scenes at airports in recent weeks.

EasyJet’s UK country manager, Ali Gayward said the Belfast City to Gatwick service has proved popular: “We are proud to be the largest airline in Northern Ireland and look forward to serving our customers in Belfast with more choice and great value fares, with our flying set to return to near 2019 levels this summer.”

The increased activity at the city airport comes on the heels of Flybe’s return to Belfast and Emerald Airlines’ takeover of the Aer Lingus Regional operation.

Belfast City Airport boss Matthew Hall said the new Liverpool route will initially see EasyJet operate a single daily service six days per week, rising to seven days from September.