A SIGNIFICANT survey by the Civil Aviation Authority study has revealed key factors in Zoom Airline's
decision to move into Belfast. The development in long-haul scheduled flights from
regional airports is a key contributing factor in the exceptional growth rate of the total number of
passengers using UK regional airports.
The survey outlined that UK regional air services are thriving as market liberalisation allows for new and
existing airlines to exploit new opportunities.
Indeed, the most noticeable growth in regional air services is in the expansion of international
scheduled flights, where the number of passengers has grown dramatically from 6.2m in 1990 to 29.8m in 2004.

Zoom Airlines, a relatively new contender in the long-haul scheduled market place, realised the
potential for direct international flights from the UK to Canada, offering full serviced flights at a
fraction of the price. In 2004, Zoom started operating scheduled flights from Gatwick and Glasgow to six
Canadian destinations including Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa.
The introduction of new international services from regional airports unlocked latent demand from
passengers who were keen to travel direct from their local airport to a much wider choice of international
destinations, according to the CAA report.
Zoom says it recognised the need to expand into regional airports throughout the UK to cater for
localised demand for their services and have added direct scheduled flights from Cardiff, Manchester and
Belfast, starting this summer.
Debbie Marshall, UK Director of Zoom Airlines, said: "When we first launched Zoom we focused on offering
low-cost transatlantic flights to cater for the majority of the Scottish and English public with
scheduled flights from Gatwick and Glasgow.
"Due to the outstanding level of demand for our services, in the first year of operating, we further
researched the catchment area of passengers booking Zoom flights and realised the huge opportunity to
exploit regional demand for our flights and move into local airports."