Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus made history today as it began flights from its new Belfast base, the first outside of the republic. The Dublin based airline will now operate to nine destinations from Belfast International Airport and by February 2008 will have three Airbus A320 aircraft based at the airport. Destinations served from Belfast include Heathrow, Barcelona, Amsterdam Schiphol, Rome and Geneva.
The move follows Aer Lingus’ controversial decision to end services between Shannon and Heathrow, instead transferring the slots to Northern Ireland out of Belfast. The decision to open the new base caused much controversy earlier this year, angering pilots, cabin crew and ground staff over the new pay and conditions in the North. The situation was however, eventually diffused.
In June 2007, the European Commission ruled that any bid by Ryanair for Aer Lingus would be outlawed due to competition grounds as the two airlines currently control more than 80% of all European flights to and from Dublin airport.
