Ryanair’s Winter 23/24 schedule for Belfast will offer a total of 16 routes, including three new winter sun routes to Lanzarote, Porto, and Turin. Lanzarote and Porto will both commence on October 29 and Turin on 17 December 17.
Ryanair say their two based aircraft will create 980 local jobs, including 60 well-paid aviation positions. With these developments, Ryanair anticipates the number of passengers will grow to 1.2m in Belfast, giving it a 19pc market share.
Ryanair will now base two aircraft in Belfast and go head to head with Easyjet on six routes to Alicante, Edinburgh, Faro, Stansted, Málaga and Manchester.
EasyJet based eight aircraft at Belfast International in 2023 and commences two new winter routes its own to Hurghada on October 31 and Southampton on October 29.
Dara Brady, Ryanair’s Director of Digital & Marketing, said that since reopening their Belfast base in March, Ryanair has experienced a successful summer and noted the increased connectivity to Britain, thanks to the Westminster Government’s reduction in Airport Passengers Duty (APD). Brady cautioned against potential plans to increase domestic APD charges, stating they would be counterproductive and harm connectivity.
