easyJet celebrates arrival of eighth aircraft at Belfast International as more routes and passengers take off this summer

• easyJet welcomes eighth aircraft to its base at Belfast International Airport to serve customer demand from Northern Ireland
• The airline will operate its largest ever flying programme from Northern Ireland this summer with 23% per cent more capacity than pre-pandemic, flying 4.7 million seats
• Inaugural flight from Belfast International Airport to the Greek Island of Rhodes will take off tomorrow operating up to twice a week throughout the summer
• Seats are available to book at easyJet.com and via the mobile app with great value fares still available from £49.99* for this summer
• Brand new packages available to Rhodes with easyJet holidays, from less than £400 per person

easyJet, Northern Ireland’s largest airline, has this week welcomed an additional aircraft to its base at Belfast International Airport, to serve customer demand from Northern Ireland this summer.

The arrival of the 186-seat Airbus A320 means easyJet now bases eight Airbus A320 family aircraft at Belfast International, demonstrating the airline’s long-term commitment to Northern Ireland by providing more great value choice, offering 36 routes to eight countries across Europe and the Middle East. The airline will operate its largest ever flying programme from Northern Ireland this summer with 23% per cent more capacity than pre-pandemic, flying 4.7 million seats.

The airline will also launch its inaugural flight on a brand new summer route from Belfast International to Rhodes. The stunning Greek island of Rhodes offers miles of scenic coastline which makes it an ideal destination for travellers wishing to relax and recharge, all while discovering some of Europe’s best beaches.

Flights to Rhodes will operate  up to twice a week on Saturdays and Tuesdays throughout the summer season until 28 October 2023. Great value seats are still available to book for this summer from £49.99* on easyJet.com.

The new route means that holidaymakers from Belfast wanting to explore Rhodes can do so with easyJet holidays, with packages starting from less than £400 per person. The holiday company now offers 29 beach and city destinations from Belfast. From luxury all-inclusive resorts, to charming boutique hotels in the heart of Europe’s most loved cities, there’s something for everyone. And, there’s 23kg of luggage per person, flights, hotel and transfers included on all beach packages.

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, said:

“We are delighted to be welcoming the arrival of our eighth aircraft in Belfast today and to be celebrating the launch of our new summer route to Rhodes, both of which are a testament to our continued success and commitment to our customers by providing greater choice and direct connectivity to more of the fantastic destinations Europe has to offer, for what will be our biggest ever summer in Northern Ireland.

[i"We are proud to be the largest airline in Northern Ireland and the expansion of our fleet and strengthening of our network at Belfast International demonstrates our confidence in the resilient strength of demand for travel in the UK, with customers choosing us for our trusted brand, unrivalled network and great value fares and we can’t wait to welcome more customers on board.”[/i]

Graham Keddie, managing director, Belfast International Airport said:

“easyJet are a key strategic partner at Belfast International Airport and the addition of an eighth Airbus aircraft to its already substantial base here is further commitment of the importance of Belfast International to the easyJet network.  Rhodes is always a firm and growing favourite with local holidaymakers and we are delighted to see it added to the overall easyJet network from Belfast International Airport.  We are looking forward to a busy summer season ahead with even more choice available for passengers direct from their local airport.

We have been working together for almost 25 years; serving over 70million passengers in that time.  We look forward to our ongoing relationship and will continue to work closely to develop a range of services to provide essential connectivity and destination choice for local travellers.”

For over 20 years easyJet has been the largest airline in Northern Ireland and now offers 36 routes across 8 countries in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. The airline launched services from Belfast International in 1998 and since operating its first flight, to London Luton, easyJet has remained committed to the airport and customers in Northern Ireland by maintaining a continuous operation. Last week the airline announced further expansion of its network with a new year round service from Belfast International to Southampton, which is set to operate from 29 October.
For more information on easyJet’s network from Belfast, visit easyJet.com.
 
For further information, please contact the easyJet Press Office on 01582 525252, log onto www.easyJet.com or follow @easyJet_Press

Notes to editors

*Flights one way per person including taxes

About easyJet

easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe’s primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.
 
easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried more than 69 million passengers in 2022 – with 9.5 million travelling for business. The airline has over 300 aircraft on nearly 1000 routes to more than 150 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport.
 
easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in eight countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports several local charities and has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £16m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.
 
The airline joined the UN-backed Race to Zero in November 2021 and has published its roadmap to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with a focus on new technology and the ultimate ambition to achieve zero carbon emission flying across its entire fleet, which the airline is working on together with its partners including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GKN Aerospace, and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions. The roadmap also features a combination of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and carbon removal technology. Additionally, it includes an interim carbon emissions intensity reduction target of 35% by 2035 (versus 2019). Since 2000, the airline has already reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third through continued fleet renewal, efficient operations and aiming to fill most of its seats.
 
Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – since launching over 25 years ago, easyJet changed the way people fly to the present day where the airline leads the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for its passengers.