IRISH budget airline Ryanair has announced its comeback to Belfast International Airport with a huge summer schedule following the reopening of its base from summer 2023.

Ryanair will start with 12 routes from Belfast International, operating over 115 weekly flights, including exciting sun destinations such as Alicante, Faro, Barcelona-Girona and Malaga. Ryanair will also launch domestic services to East-Midlands, Edinburgh, London-Stansted and Manchester.

Ryanair’s Belfast-based fleet will comprise of 2 aircraft, representing a $200m investment and over 60 highly paid aviation jobs at Belfast International Airport and over 400 indirect jobs.

Ryanair’s Belfast International Summer 2023 schedule will deliver:

  • 2 based aircraft
  • £200m investment in Belfast
  • 12 new routes including Alicante, Faro, Barcelona-Girona, Malaga, Manchester, Milan-Bergamo and Stansted
  • Over 115 flights per week
  • Over 800 total jobs

After two difficult years for tourism, Ryanair’s return to Belfast International will allow holidaymakers to plan their summer 2023 getaways to sunshine locations early to ensure the lowest possible fares.

Ryanair is leading the post-pandemic recovery across Europe with the help of traffic recovery schemes and lower airport charges.

Launching their new routes, the airline said that if the UK is to continue its recovery, the government needs to scrap the aviation tax (APD) entirely for all flights and argued that a 50 per cent cut on domestic flights from April 2023 is simply insufficient.

To celebrate its return to Belfast International, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares available from just £29.99 which must be booked by the end of July 2022 for travel from April to June 2023, only on the Ryanair website.

Speaking as they launched their new routes from Belfast, Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness said: “At a time when other airlines are cutting their schedules and reducing their workforce, we are delighted to announce a new Ryanair base at Belfast International Airport with 12 exciting routes and 2 based aircraft representing an investment of $200m at Belfast International and the creation of over 800 direct/indirect jobs.

"We are delighted to have reached a long-term agreement with Belfast International’s management, which will underpin future Ryanair growth at the Airport over the coming years.

"Today’s announcement, particularly our decision to launch close to 80 weekly domestic flights to/from East-Midlands, Edinburgh, London-Stansted and Manchester demonstrates that lower aviation taxes and competitive airport charges are the catalyst for long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity."

Belfast International Airport’s CFO Dan Owens added: “We welcome back Ryanair to Belfast International Airport, Northern Ireland’s leading airport. The Airport plays a pivotal role and is a key asset in aviation and tourism recovery after a challenging couple of years. This is a significant investment, job creation and positive news for our passengers and the region.

It increases the number of destinations now available from the airport to over 70 domestic and international destinations, offering more choice than ever for travellers."