From October 31, 2021, Aer Lingus will offer twice daily service from Belfast City Airport to Manchester and will expand London Heathrow service to 21 weekly flights. The carrier will also offer 11 weekly flights between Belfast City and Edinburgh.
On Wednesday (September 29, 2021), Aer Lingus announced the expansion of service from Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh. From October 31, 2021, the carrier will add two weekly services between Belfast City and London Heathrow for a total of 21 weekly flights, while increasing service to Manchester to double-daily flights. Aer Lingus will also increase their current daily service between Belfast and Edinburgh to 11 weekly flights for the winter 2021/22 season. One-way flights from Belfast City to Manchester and Edinburgh start at £29.99, while fares to London Heathrow start at £39.99 (including taxes and charges).
Starting November 3, 2021, Aer Lingus’ Belfast-Manchester flight, EI 302, will connect to EI 031, the airline’s new direct flight from Manchester to Barbados. The Barbados service will operate three times weekly Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays through the end of April 2022, with fares starting at £259 each way, inclusive. From December 1st, 2021, customers will also be able to connect to daily flights between Manchester Airport and New York-JFK, as well as four weekly flights to Orlando starting December 11, 2021. One way fares to New York and Orlando start from £189 each way, including taxes and charges.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Aer Lingus’ Chief Customer Officer, Susanne Carberry, said,
“We are delighted to be able to provide a significant increase in frequency from Belfast to London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh and be able to reconnect businesses, as well as friends and families in the UK that have been kept apart for too long. We are also excited to be able to connect Northern Irish customers with our new Manchester routes to Barbados, New York, JFK and Orlando.
“Safety remains our priority at Aer Lingus and we continue to implement measures such as mask requirements and additional cleaning, as has been in practice across the airline for the past year. We are also committed to making the flight experience as comfortable as possible and customers can enjoy our in-flight food, drink and entertainment services on board.”
Also commenting on Aer Lingus’ Belfast City network expansion, Belfast City Airport’s Commercial Director, Katy Best, said,
“This is a really strong schedule from Aer Lingus that will serve passengers extremely well throughout the winter months as they resume business travel and embark on more non-essential leisure trips. With a twice daily service to Manchester, passengers can benefit from same-day travel options, and the return to pre-pandemic frequency for the Heathrow service is a reflection of the increased demand for travel to and from London. Aer Lingus offers an excellent service with which our passengers are familiar, and enjoy peace of mind that additional safety measures continue to be in place both on board and in the terminal.”
Aer Lingus advises customers to use their new online travel support tool to retrieve up-to-date destination travel requirements. Additionally, the airline’s ‘Book with Confidence’ flexible booking policy applies to flights booked through December 31, 2021, should travel plans change.
Source: Aer Lingus