Fly Atlantic plans transatlantic flights from Belfast International
- Published
The new airline says it will create a major hub linking Europe with Northern American destinations
Fly Atlantic plans to launch a new transatlantic airline at Belfast International Airport in summer 2024.
It aims to fly to the US and Canada, British and European destinations and, once fully operational, plans to fly to 35 destinations.
This initial announcement is the first stage in its plans; the next steps will be securing aircraft and a licence.
Initially, the airline says it will employ 50 people at Belfast International Airport and 250 crew.
It plans to create 1,000 jobs in the first five years within the airline and indirectly create thousands more in tourism and support sectors.
The new airline says it will create a major hub linking Europe with North American destinations to supplement local passenger numbers.
It will initially operate six aircraft at its Antrim base, growing to a fleet of 18 by 2028.
Lower cost long-haul travel is not a new idea but it has proved difficult to sustain in practice.
The entrepreneur Freddie Laker started a no-frills service between London and New York in the late 1970s, but it collapsed within five years.
Hong Kong-based airline Oasis was another notable failure in 2008, having hoped to serve up to 60 major cities.
Norwegian was the most credible of recent attempts but was ultimately undone by the pandemic and has restructured to focus on short haul.
Fly Atlantic's chief executive Andrew Pyne said: "The lack of direct transatlantic air services has clearly been an impediment to Northern Ireland's economic and tourism development, which we now intend to remove.
"We already have offices at the airport and will now be building out the infrastructure to support the airline's launch."
Managing director of Belfast International Airport Graham Keddie welcomed the announcement by Fly Atlantic.
"We look forward to them bringing this project to fruition as it would have very real economic benefits for Northern Ireland's economy and would further enhance our international connectivity," he said.
'Newcomers'
The airline has received support from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
Mayor Alderman Stephen Ross said improving connectivity was a "key part of our economic development strategy and we are delighted that Fly Atlantic has selected Belfast International Airport to become a hub, offering direct flights to North America, UK and Europe".
The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder said there were still questions to answer over Fly Atlantic's plans.
Competition from Dublin Airport, which allows US-bound passengers to go through US immigration and customs checks before departure, is one factor to be considered, he told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.
Going up against EasyJet, who run a number of routes from Belfast International, may also cause problems, Mr Calder added.
"Newcomers do not generally do well against well-established, low-cost airlines," he said.
- Published7 July 2022
- Published27 June 2022
