Ryanair has announced plans to resume flights from Belfast International airport next summer, less than a year after the carrier suspended all services from Northern Ireland.
In August 2021 Ryanair confirmed plans to cease all flights from both Belfast International and Belfast City, citing the UK government’s “refusal to suspend or reduce APD (Air passenger duty) and the lack of Covid recovery incentives from both Belfast airports”.
But in a turnaround the airline has now announced it will fly to the following 12 destinations from Belfast International starting from the summer 2023 schedules:
Alicante, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Faro, Gdansk, Girona, Krakow, London Stansted, Malaga, Manchester, Milan Bergamo and Paris Beauvais
The move coincides with a new domestic air passenger duty rate being introduced in April 2023, which will see the fee for flights between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland capped at £6.50, rather than the current £13.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Ryanair’s director of commercial Jason McGuinness said that were APD to be scrapped in full “I think Ryanair could double the amount of aircraft we have in Belfast and double the number of passengers”.
The carrier will base two aircraft at Belfast International next year, with a total of 115 weekly flights.
