Aer Lingus to open Major New European Air Hub in Belfast

Aer Lingus, the national carrier of the Republic of Ireland, is to open a major new European air hub at Belfast, in Northern Ireland, introducing 46 weekly flights on eight new routes between December 2007 and late February 2008.

The airline will use a fleet of new Airbus A320 aircraft to operate the flights, beginning on 10 December with 14 weekly services to Amsterdam, five weekly flights to Barcelona and two weekly services to Geneva.

On 14 January, Aer Lingus will commence stage 2 of its Belfast hub plan, with 21 weekly flights to London Heathrow, and on 25 February, the third stage will commence with four flights per week to both Rome and Malaga and three flights per week to both Budapest and Faro.

In addition to providing links between Northern Ireland and eight key European destinations, the new Aer Lingus schedules are planned to connect with long haul services by British Airways at London Heathrow and by KLM at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

Belfast has been selected by Aer Lingus because of its capability to operate 24 x 7, in all-weather conditions.

In addition to the new Belfast hub services, Aer Lingus will launch flights between Dublin and London Heathrow four times daily from the end of October, again using new Airbus A320 aircraft.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, Aer Lingus