Jet2.com is giving skiers across Northern Ireland a piste of the action, by reintroducing ski flights for Winter 2017/18 from Belfast International Airport.
The leading leisure airline will fly direct from Belfast International to Salzburg and, for the first time, Verona this winter. The two exclusive routes mark the reintroduction of ski flights from Belfast International, as well as the continued expansion of Jet2.com at the airport. The addition of weekly Saturday flights to both destinations expands Jet2.com’s biggest ever winter programme even further, with almost 70,000 seats on sale this winter.
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On Friday afternoon a two-seater privately-owned aircraft flying in the skies above Belfast had a technical issue and radioed to the control tower at the airport.
An emergency call out was made, with the police, Fire Service and ambulance responding. The aircraft landed without incident and the two people on board walked away with no injuries. George Best Belfast City Airport has been nominated for one of the most prestigious global marketing awards in aviation for a second successive year.
The airport has been shortlisted for the ‘Under 4 Million Passenger’ category of the World Routes Marketing Awards. Voted for by airlines, the awards highlight airports which have excelled in route development marketing with the winners announced at the World Routes Conference in Barcelona this September. The accolade follows the Routes Europe Conference which was co-hosted by the airport in Belfast earlier this year. Katy Best, Commercial and Marketing Manager at Belfast City Airport, said: “The World Routes Marketing Awards are some of the most prestigious in the industry and to have our work recognised by airlines as world-class is testament to the work we do marketing Belfast City Airport, and indeed Belfast and Northern Ireland as a destination, to potential new airlines.” The airport has been named the Most Convenient Airport in the World in a study by The Telegraph and more recently named Northern Ireland’s Responsible Company of the Year at the annual Business in the Community Responsible Business Awards. Eastern Airways is launching a new convenient non-stop service from Newcastle to Belfast City Airport. From 1 September 2017, the UK regional airline will provide a daily weekday service from the north east to the heart of Belfast city.
Earlier this year Eastern Airways provided a continuation of services to the Isle of Man from Newcastle Airport, following the liquidation of Citywing. The airline has been operating air services from Newcastle since 2003 and also flies from the north east airport to Aberdeen and Cardiff. On Mondays to Thursdays, flights will depart Newcastle at 9.45am, landing in Belfast City at 10.50am. Flights will leave Belfast City at 1.45pm, arriving in Newcastle at 2.50pm. Friday services take off from Newcastle at 9am, landing in Belfast City at 10.05am. From Belfast City Friday services depart at 1.10pm, arriving in Newcastle at 2.15pm. Alicante in southern Spain has taken over as the most popular destination for people flying abroad from Belfast international.
The Costa Blanca hotspot overtook Palma in Mallorca and Malaga to take the number one spot in 2016. 153,691 passengers flew between Belfast International and Alicante across the year. That compares with 147,410 for Palma - which held the number one spot in 2015 - and 130,342 for Malaga. Faro, Amsterdam, Arrecife, Tenerife, New York (Newark), Paris and Krakow completed the top 10. BMI Regional is to begin flying between City of Derry Airport and London Stansted with the assistance of a £3.8m grant from the Department of Transport.
The service will begin on Tuesday 2 May, replacing Ryanair's Stansted service. The airline will operate two return flights each day, except for Saturdays which will have one flight each way. This is the first-ever UK government backing for a public service obligation (PSO) air route in Northern Ireland. The Department for Transport provides funding for such routes if the service is "vital for the economic and social development of the region". It maintains regional airport links through a 'connectivity fund', which can be used to protect important air connections to London which may otherwise be lost. Secretary of State James Brokenshire said: "The UK government has worked closely with Derry City and Strabane District Council to protect this important route to City of Derry Airport. "£3.8m of UK government funding will allow 13 return flights to connect Londonderry to London every week. "The new service will allow business passengers to get to central London and complete a full day's work before returning home." Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air is to begin two new flights between Northern Ireland and the United States.
Services will operate five times a week, from July, between Belfast International and airports in the New York and Boston areas. Aldergrove said it was "the best possible boost for Northern Ireland". It has been working to find a replacement for United Airlines, which ended its daily New York service in January. United had claimed the Belfast-Newark route was not profitable enough. Norwegian Air will fly to Stewart International Airport, about 70 miles from New York, and TF Green Airport, 60 miles from Boston. Norewgian will use its new Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft to operate this route. A Ryanair flight from Glasgow to Derry has been diverted to Belfast as strong winds buffeted the North West this afternoon.
The plane had been due to land in the city shortly after 3pm but was redirected. Passengers will make their way to their intended destination by bus from Belfast from 5.45pm, according to City of Derry Airport, whilst those who had been due to travel to Glasgow from Derry on the same plane at 3.30pm are being bussed to Dublin. Belfast International is now the fifth busiest airport in the United Kingdom for domestic passenger traffic.
Its new ranking emerged in a Civil Aviation Authority report on airport and passenger activity for 2016. In the league table of 47 UK airports, Belfast International comes in behind Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Glasgow in terms of passenger flow. Overall, the airport grew by more than 17% last year with over 5.1 million passengers through the facility. That figure is expected to grow further in 2017. Managing Director Graham Keddie said it was "an outstanding result" for the airport. On the 9th January 2017, United Airlines flew its last BFS-EWR flight. The Minister for the Economy, Simon Hamilton, said he would proactively search for a new carrier to fly what he describes as the 'essential, Belfast to New York service.
Airlines that have been suggested to replace United include; Norwegian Jet2 Delta It is widely thought that Norwegian will be the replacement airline operating flights to New York and Boston. |
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