Ryanair to end flights at Belfast airports

Ryanair is ending its operations at both of Belfast's airports.

It will cease flights from Belfast City Airport in September and from Belfast International Airport in October.

Belfast International Airport said it was disappointed but had anticipated the move and was engaging with other airlines to replace the routes.

Ryanair blamed the cost of operating at the airports as well as the UK government's "refusal to suspend or reduce" air passenger duty (APD).

APD is a tax levied on air passengers, which varies according to destination and class of travel.

Airports and airlines have lobbied for it to abolished on short haul flights from Northern Ireland.

Ryanair said the aircraft it used on routes to and from Belfast would be "reallocated to lower-cost airports elsewhere in the UK and Europe for the winter schedule, which starts in November".

A spokesperson for Belfast International said: "It is disappointing that Ryanair has now decided to withdraw operations from the entire Northern Ireland market at the end of October, having variously had a presence in all three local airports in recent years.

"It has been a difficult period for aviation and a time when consumers need some stability and faith in the Northern Ireland air transport network."

Ryanair's routes from Belfast International Airport include Alicante, Malaga, Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk and Milan.

It only recommenced flights at Belfast City Airport in May after an absence of 11 years.

It has been operating flights to and from eight destinations in mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and Italy.

At that time the airline said: "The UK government's highly successful roll-out of their [Covid-19] vaccination programme gives customers the confidence that travel will be possible this summer."

However it is understood that demand for flights has remained muted.

Earlier on Tuesday, the airline's chief executive Michael O'Leary said it expected to fly between 90 million and 100 million people in the 12 months to the end of March 2022, compared with a peak of 149 million before the coronavirus pandemic.

"Ryanair is recovering strongly, much faster than other any airline in Europe. Bookings are increasing very rapidly," Mr O'Leary told a news conference in Lisbon.