THE Province's largest low-fares airline, easyJet has increased the number of routes it serves from Belfast International Airport to a record 23 with the launch of four new services at the end of October.

The first of the new routes, Gdansk in Poland, was launched on October 30, followed by flights to Prague and Venice two days later and to Barcelona on Saturday, November 3.

This brings easyJet into direct competition with Jet2 on the Barcelona and Prague routes, and from January Aer Lingus will also enter the fray, lauching a service from BIAL to these two popular city break destinations.

The airline says it expects to carry over 140,000 passengers on the four routes in the first 12 months.The expansion means easyJet is introducing an additional aircraft, bringing the number of aircraft based at Belfast to six.

David Osborne, easyJet UK General Manager, said: "Increasing the number of easyJet routes from Belfast International to 23, further cements our commitment to the region and its people. We have been in Northern Ireland for nine years and we intend to keep expanding for many years to come.

"We will carry close to 3.3 million passengers from Belfast in the next 12 months, and the addition of the sixth aircraft means a total investment of £120 million.

"Overall, we have made a huge investment in Northern Ireland - strongly supporting the economy and opening links to Europe that are vital for business as well as leisure travellers.

"We have ensured that the travelling public no longer have to endure lengthy connections through London airports and can now fly directly to the main airports of Europe's major cities with easyJet's low fares."

John Doran, Managing Director of Belfast International Airport, said: "We are delighted to acknowledge this further statement of commitment to Belfast and to Northern Ireland by easyJet, once again delivering new and refreshing destinations to the people of the region.

"EasyJet can truly claim to have pioneered the changed landscape for air travel to and from Northern Ireland over the past decade. They have proven to be a responsible, serious and innovative business partner, delivering a wide range of vital business and leisure links for passengers departing from and arriving into Northern Ireland, dating back to 1998.

"As the region embarks upon ever more interesting times we can reflect with a sense of achievement on what we have jointly established over the past decade, in the knowledge that both easyJet and Belfast International Airport have the capacity and appetite to deliver ever greater opportunity to the 'new' Northern Ireland as we look forward into the future."

The airline flew its 20 millionth passenger from Belfast International in July. Earlier, in April, it established the first direct air link between Belfast and Poland with the launch of the Krakow route.

Weekly flights to Krakow have been increased from three to five and there is also more frequency on services to Stansted, Geneva and Paris.

Eddie Lynch Head of Consumer Affairs at the Consumer Council said: "This announcement is great news for passengers and we welcome the ongoing commitment from easyJet to Northern Ireland. The news of new destinations and competition on key routes will not only increase passenger choice but support the tourism industry and boost the regional economy.

"This is a welcome and significant boost for business and leisure travellers and we congratulate BIA and easyJet in working in partnership to develop a strong, sustainable network of UK and European destinations from the airport. We look forward to continuing to work with all the airports and airlines operating in Northern Ireland to ensure that the needs of passengers are being me.

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