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Ryanair planning new winter flights to Porto, Turin and Warsaw from Belfast International

Porto, Turin and Warsaw Modlin are expected to be added to Ryanair's winter operation at Belfast International Airport.
Porto, Turin and Warsaw Modlin are expected to be added to Ryanair's winter operation at Belfast International Airport.
By Ryan McAleer

RYANAIR is understood to be preparing the launch of four new winter destinations from Belfast International Airport, including Porto, Turin, Warsaw and Lanzarote.

The Irish carrier returned to the airport in March this year, with flights to 16 destinations now in rotation.

Ryanair last pulled up the wheels at Belfast International at the end of October 2021, blaming the UK Government and Stormont over air passenger duty (APD) rates and a lack of Covid recovery incentives.

Its return came after the UK Government cut APD on domestic flights from £13 to £6.50 from April 1.

The new flights, first reported by aviation analyst Sean Moulton, are due to begin from October 29.

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Ryanair already flies to Portugal, Italy, Poland and the Canary Islands from Belfast, but the new airports, including Warsaw Modlin, Porto and Turin, expand its range in those countries.

The new Porto service in particular will benefit the Belfast-based financial services company FinTrU, which has set up a major new base of operations in the city.

Around 500 new jobs are due to be created by Darragh McCarthy’s company in Portugal. But the company is also using its Porto base to train local staff.

As part of its return in March, Ryanair has based two new Boeing 737-800 aircraft at Belfast International, staffed by a flying crew of 60, which the airline previously said represents an investment of around $200 million.

The additional flights means Belfast International Airport is on course to fully recover to pre-pandemic passenger levels this year.

The airport said it expects to exceed the record 6.28 million passengers, which passed through the terminal during its last pre-Covid year in 2019.