Ireland’s latest airline startup, Emerald Airlines has announced this Thursday it will start connecting its Northern Irish base in Belfast City Airport to East Midlands and Newcastle, a week after the demise of British regional carrier flybe.
The two routes were the only ones from Belfast’s corporate-favorite airport that were served exclusively by the bankrupt airline, as seen in Aviacionline last week.
Emerald Airlines, exclusive operator of the Aer Lingus Regional franchise, has five ATR 72 turboprops based in Belfast City, with a sixth one joining this Summer. flybe, meanwhile, had two DHC 8-400s stationed in the airport.
In a press release, the Irish carrier said that «in addition to the airline’s [new] Summer services to Jersey and Newquay», the move «further cements its intention to provide efficient, great value, and sustainable air travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.»
Emerald’s Head of Commercial, Ciarán Smith, stated «with more flights and more choice for the travelling public, the airline is progressively bolstering its Summer 2023 schedule. Emerald Airlines will add 180,000+ extra seats this Summer from Belfast City Airport, operating over 400 weekly flights this Summer to and from Belfast.»
From the airport’s management, Katy Best, Commercial Director at Belfast City, said that «having Emerald Airlines step-up and operate the Aer Lingus Regional services on both routes, in addition to its already extensive network from Belfast City, is […] excellent news as it leaves no Flybe destination unserved.»
The executive added that «maintaining a robust route network and ensuring connectivity to and from Northern Ireland remains our priority, and we look forward to continuing and developing our successful partnership with Emerald Airlines.»
Emerald’s next steps
Emerald Airlines’ fleet, according to Planespotters.net, is currently composed of fourteen ATR 72 aircraft; besides the five (soon to be six) Belfast-based turboprops, there is currently an operational need for five ATRs from Dublin, as per the latest data by Cirium’s Diio Mi application.
The remaining three aircraft are parked in Exeter, where there lies a maintenance facility, Exeter Aerospace, focused on regional aircraft, including ATRs.
According to data by Cirium, the Dublin base, by Summer season, will require at least eight stationed aircraft.
The Irish Times reported earlier this week that Emerald «could consider» starting services from Cork, the Republic of Ireland’s second-largest city, to Bristol, in Southwestern England. Talks in the media were started by a petition created by local travelers. Stobart Air, Aer Lingus Regional’s previous franchisee, had a base in Cork.
