LONDON – Emerald Airlines, which runs Aer Lingus Regional, has announced that it will operate Belfast-Jersey flights next year as regional expansion continues.
According to Jersey Airport, the service will run on a twice-weekly basis beginning on May 6, 2023. This is the first time that the airport has had a city link with Belfast since 2013.
Aer Lingus Regional will offer around 6,000 seats throughout the Summer to the Channel Islands-based destination.
Overall…
The Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said:
“Today’s announcement is a great sign of confidence in Jersey as an attractive destination and will also be welcomed by Islanders, many of whom have family connections with Northern Ireland.”
“This new air link will provide great holiday opportunities in both directions and will enable island businesses to explore new opportunities.”
Also commenting on the announcement, Ciarán Smith, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines, which operates Aer Lingus Regional services, said:
“As we enter a busy winter season, we are thrilled to be announcing our Summer 2023 schedule. We are pleased to be bolstering our Belfast schedule with the addition of two sought-after routes; Newquay and Jersey.”
“We anticipate these new routes to be popular amongst those traveling for both business and leisure purposes, and we look forward to providing that increased connectivity to and from Belfast.”
Continued Expansion at Belfast…
Belfast does seem to be the hot topic of conversation for Emerald, who announced new services from Belfast back in June to Cardiff and Southampton.
These destinations will join the following on the airline’s route network:
- Birmingham
- Edinburgh
- Leeds Bradford
- Glasgow
- Exeter
- Manchester
Smith said the following back in June regarding this:
“As we near the peak summer months, the launch of our Cardiff and Southampton services will provide those traveling from Belfast with more choices when planning their holidays.”
“When quick getaways are on the top of everyone’s mind, we are offering convenient timings and low fares, increasing connectivity to and from Northern Ireland.”
“We are extremely pleased with the feedback we have received since beginning our operations from Belfast City Airport and believe Cardiff and Southampton are great new connections that will cater to both business and leisure travelers with direct, convenient, and cost-effective flights from Belfast.”
“In addition, we will continue to add more routes and increase frequencies over the coming months.”
It’s clear that Smith was right about adding more routes and increasing frequencies, and it will be a focus as we approach the Winter 2022/23 season.
Overall…
Emerald is clearly pushing ahead with new city links, especially when it comes to putting pressure on the likes of Flybe, BA Cityflyer, Loganair, and others.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see what other new routes and upgraded frequencies will be implemented by the carrier.
Either way, it’s clear that the routes that are being installed onto the network are generating the returns that the company wants and are resulting in further expansion in what is a volatile time for the industry.
