Monday, June 25, 2007

Ryanair to launch routes from Belfast City?

Ryanair logo

Another week, another airline threatens to start flying out of a Belfast airport! Following the recent speculation that Aer Lingus would choose to set up a new base at Belfast International. This morning, news centres on Ryanair who have announced plans to fly to six destinations from St George’s Belfast City Airport starting in October.

Likely to be a mix of UK and mainland European destinations. Chief executive at Belfast City Airport, Brian Ambrose, was keeping tight lipped when the Belfast Telegraph talked to him, describing the news about Ryanair as “speculation”. He added that “the airport is in negotiation with a number of carriers in order to realise its ambition of offering our customers an increased portfolio of European routes.”

3 comments:

Alan in Belfast (Alan Meban) said...

You can get to and from Orlando once a week too. See the BFS website ...

Unknown said...

I can't figure out how Ryanair can fly to European destinations from George Best City Airport. It's not an international airport. To fly to Europe or the USA as I have done countless times from this airport, involves a conecting flight in a British airport - usually Heathrow which has got to be the worst airport I've ever been in. At Belfast International the only scheduled flights to the States are offered by Continental as has been noted. Tour companies offer Orlando but begining next year a travel crew will be offering direct flights to Las Vegas! Now that's a bonus. Vegas is a blast and it would great to zip over without the usual two or three connecting flights.....though on the other hand if Continental offered free stop overs, I would take advantage of that bonus for all my longhauls to the States.
Europe is soooooooooo boring.

Anonymous said...

ironbed said: "I can't figure out how Ryanair can fly to European destinations from George Best City Airport. It's not an international airport."

Any airport can serve destinations in other countries, so long as it has sufficient customs and immigration facilities in place, which for intra-EU flights is virtually nil. Airports dont call themselves International until they handle a certain volume of passengers travelling abroad every year.
Although, strictly speaking, NO airport can use the word "International", or names like John Lennon or George Best, in their name - these names are used in public facing signage and marketing material, but do not form part of the official name of the airport in aviation terms. Belfast airports are still officially named Belfast/Aldergrove and Belfast/City.