Flights to London Luton and Manchester will operate up to four times a week with fares beginning at only £25.99

easyJet, Northern Ireland’s largest airline, has put 140,000 extra seats on sale from its Belfast airports.

The additional seats, previously served by Flybe, will not only maintain domestic connectivity but also help serve the demand for domestic travel.

The airline has also announced two new year-round domestic routes from Belfast City to London Luton and Manchester, which will take off for the first time in June. Belfast to Manchester, which was previously served by Flybe, and London Luton will help maintain connectivity between the regions. This means the airline now operates six routes from Belfast City to Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool, and London Gatwick, and now London Luton and Manchester.

easyJet has rapidly expanded its offering at the city airport over the last two years since relaunching operations from Belfast City for the first time in over 10 years in 2021 with a route to London Gatwick.

Fights to London Luton and Manchester will take off for the first time on June 26, with departures on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays throughout the year.

easyJet will also be basing an aircraft in Belfast City overnight from June and will enable the airline to provide customers travelling from Belfast City with a new convenient 06.00 am departure to London Gatwick, meaning the airline will now offer up to four daily flights between Belfast City and London from next summer and the option for longer day trips to London.

With this news also comes the arrival of an eighth Airbus A320 family aircraft at its Belfast International Airport base from this summer, as well as the launch of two new summer routes to the popular Greek island of Rhodes and Antalya in Turkey. The airline now offers 30 routes to nine countries from its Belfast base, providing customers with more choice when choosing where to holiday.

Speaking of easyJet’s expansion since landing at the airport in 2021, Katy Best, commercial director at Belfast City Airport, said: “The announcement of two new services from Belfast City Airport is fantastic news for passengers, coming only six months after easyJet launched its popular service to Glasgow.

“In the space of 18 months, easyJet has significantly increased its capacity from Belfast City Airport, which is not only a testament to the strength of our partnership but also showcases our commitment to providing passengers with choice, convenience, and flexibility.

“Belfast City Airport now serves 28 destinations across the UK and beyond through its extensive route network, which provides passengers with more domestic connectivity than any other NI airport. easyJet’s flights to London Gatwick, Liverpool, Bristol, and Glasgow have already proved a massive success and we look forward to welcoming more easyJet travellers through the terminal doors.”

Ali Gayward, UK country manager at easyJet, explained: “We know how important it is to support UK connectivity so people can visit friends and loved ones, do business, and explore more of what the UK has to offer, so we are delighted to be providing customers with even more direct and convenient domestic connections that we know will prove popular for business and leisure travellers alike, all with great value fares and friendly service.

“easyJet offers more seats on UK domestic routes than any other carrier and we’re further strengthening our network from NI today, by offering even more seats on key domestic routes and launching two new routes to serve customers travelling between Belfast City and the major hubs of London and Manchester.

“And, with fares from just £21.99 and Easter around the corner, now is a great time to book with easyJet for a last-minute spring break or summer getaway.”

Uel Hoey, business development director, continued: “easyJet have operated from Belfast International Airport (BFS) for almost 25 years during which time they have catered for over 70m passenger journeys. The relationship between Belfast International Airport and easyJet is symbiotic in delivering low fares and connectivity to the people of Northern Ireland and we are delighted that easyJet are continuing to add growth to their BFS route network.”

Welcoming easyJet’s expansion in Belfast, Gerry Lennon, chief executive, Visit Belfast, added: “We are delighted to hear that easyJet will be bringing additional domestic services and new routes to both Belfast International Airport and Belfast City Airport. Connectivity is essential to continue the development of the city and region's tourism industry as a vibrant and cultural destination. This expansion offers positive opportunities for growth including new links and more choice for visitors. We look forward to working with easyJet and both Belfast airports to continue to promote the Belfast City Region as a must visit leisure, business and conference destination.”