Belfast International Airport, a member of the VINCI Airports network, is welcoming back Ryanair with a two-aircraft base, operating over 140 flights a week to 16 routes across Great Britain (GB) and Europe, including Budapest, Milan, Barcelona, Paris, Alicante, Malaga, Faro and Valencia.
GB Destinations
Alongside the European destinations, Ryanair is operating flights to five GB destinations: London Stansted, Manchester, East Midlands, Cardiff and Edinburgh. These destinations will be some of the first to benefit from the UK Domestic Air Passenger Duty (APD) cut of 50%, applying from 1 April 2023.
Statements
Uel Hoey, business development director, Belfast International Airport, said, “Today is a significant day, on many fronts. As we continue to rebuild the business, post-pandemic, to be able to welcome Ryanair back on such a significant scale is testament to the hard work that the team in Belfast has invested in securing this new base. Ryanair will bring low fares, high frequency and great choice to the local market, and this significant investment and job creation is positive news for this region.”
Ryanair’s director of digital and marketing, Dara Brady, said, “We are pleased to announce the start of operations at our Belfast International Airport base for summer ’23, to the exciting destinations such as Budapest, Palma, Paris and Valencia. Ryanair will operate 16 total routes this summer, with two based aircraft representing an investment of $200 million and the creation of over 950 total jobs at Belfast International Airport.
“Additional investment from all airlines has been encouraged by the newly introduced APD reduction for domestic travel, but Ryanair again calls on the UK government must immediately scrap ADP taxes for all flights, which currently puts the UK at risk of losing air traffic to competing European countries.
“To celebrate today’s announcement, we are launching a seat sale, with fares available from £29.99 for travel from April ’23 until October ’23. Since these amazing low fares will be snapped up quickly, customers should log on to www.ryanair.com and book early, to avoid missing out.”
Read More: EasyJet Launches Belfast-To-Antalya Service
© 2023 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
