Aer Lingus announces new base at Belfast International Airport (BFS)

- Unique growth opportunity for Aer Lingus -

Following extensive evaluation of growth opportunities throughout Europe, Aer Lingus announces its first base outside the Republic of Ireland at Belfast International Airport (BFS).  

Three A320 aircraft will be based at BFS and will primarily serve London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol. Additional short haul routes will be announced shortly.  The new base gives the potential for up to one million new passengers per year and will comprise a total investment of €150 million.  Over 100 new jobs will be created directly through local recruitment of pilots and cabin crew. 

Aer Lingus is committed to profitable growth and maximising the use of its available resources to deliver value for all of its stakeholders.  The Company currently has a fixed number of valuable slots at Heathrow Airport. In order to provide direct BFS to Heathrow services, Aer Lingus will transfer slots that are currently being utilised for Shannon to Heathrow services. In the current climate, Aer Lingus believes the Belfast Heathrow services present an accelerated growth opportunity, using its available fleet and slot resources. 

The schedule will provide customers with flights from BFS to Heathrow and Schiphol at times that connect with a range of international long-haul departures by both BA and KLM.    The Heathrow service will be operated in conjunction with our codeshare partner, BA.