Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, is returning to Cardiff Airport (CWL/EGFF) for the first time since 2016 reviving two routes to Northern Ireland and Eire.
The new route to Belfast City will commence on 28th June and will operate four times per week on Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Dublin will commence on 30th August and will operate three times weekly, on Monday, Friday, and Sunday.
Spencer Birns, CEO at Cardiff Airport said: “It’s fantastic news that Stobart Air will be operating scheduled services from Cardiff to Dublin and Belfast with their Aer Lingus franchise. As restrictions are eased, these flights will once again link Wales to two key destinations, allowing our customers to travel for business, leisure or to visit friends and family, as well as enabling easy connections to North America via Dublin.
“Both routes have proved highly popular with our customers, and it is a top priority for us to focus on re-instating routes lost as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. We are pleased that once again our passengers will be able to easily fly to both Belfast and Dublin, and we look forward to working closely with the team at Stobart Air going forward.”
Andy Jolly, Managing Director at Stobart Air, added: “Stobart Air calls on the Governments in the UK and Ireland to work with all industry stakeholders to restore confidence in aviation and facilitate the resumption of safe air travel in line with the vaccination rollout programmes. In the immediate term this includes developing a vaccine pass procedure to allow people who have received their complete vaccine course to unrestricted travel within the Common Travel Area.
“Anticipating a successful Covid-19 vaccination rollout which will allow air travel to resume safely later this year, we are pleased to add these routes from Cardiff to Dublin and Belfast to our network. We believe these new connections will cater to both business and leisure travellers with direct, convenient and cost-effective flights between Cardiff and the two largest cities on the island of Ireland, Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, and Belfast in Northern Ireland.
We are committed to providing our passengers with frequent, convenient and affordable services through our regional connections. We look forward to welcoming our staff and customers onboard these new routes.”
Aer Lingus flights last operated in October 2016 when the airline withdrew from the airport after Flybe set up a 3 aircraft base competing directly on routes. Flybe subsequently collapsed in 2020 leaving the routes unserved.