New Daily Service from Edinburgh to Belfast with Stobart Air

The capitals of Scotland and Northern Ireland will be further connected from August with a new service operated by Stobart Air.

Stobart Air, operator of Aer Lingus Regional, will introduce the Edinburgh-Belfast City service on August 27 with up to three flights a day on a ATR72-600 aircraft.

It brings the number of services operated from Edinburgh by Stobart Air to four - Dublin, Cork, Shannon and now Belfast City.

Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said:

“It’s been an incredibly difficult time for everyone in the aviation industry over the past few months so it’s great to finally see some positive developments and growing connectivity.

“Scotland and Northern Ireland share strong bonds, including in business, culture and diaspora, so we are delighted to enhance our aviation connections to make travel between these two great cities even easier.

“We look forward to welcoming passengers back to Edinburgh and have worked hard to introduce a number of new measures to ensure everyone can return to travel with confidence and flysafe.”

Commenting on the announcement, Stobart Air Managing Director Andy Jolly said:

“As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Stobart Air has been challenged and we have worked hard over the past number of months to protect our airline and to position us for the future, once restrictions ease and passenger demand increases.

“Working with Belfast City Airport and Edinburgh Airport, along with our partners, Aer Lingus we are pleased to establish a base at Belfast City to service flights to Edinburgh.

“High frequency day-return flights from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport will cater for both business and leisure travellers for direct, convenient and cost-effective flights.

More on Edinburgh Airport’s ‘let’s all flysafe’ campaign.

Pre-Covid, Stobart Air, operator of Aer Lingus Regional, operated over 900 flights weekly across 30 routes throughout Ireland, the UK and Western Europe. The airline operates a fleet of 15 aircraft from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Kerry and Donegal airports in Ireland, as well as operating across 13 UK airports. These key routes improve connectivity, choice and flexibility for both business and leisure travellers.

New measures on Stobart Air services include measures include:

Enhanced aircraft cleaning:

To ensure the wellbeing of our passengers and crew, enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures have been introduced for the aircraft cabin, which are in addition to the existing aircraft cleaning schedule. Each aircraft, including seats, armrests and tray tables will be subject to a daily disinfection process which provides surface protection from viruses for 24 hours.

On board measures:

Face coverings or masks are mandatory on all flights operated by Stobart Air for customers and cabin crew respectively, with the exception of small children and those who are unable to wear a face mask for medical reasons. The face coverings can be in the form of a reusable cloth mask or a disposable mask and it is recommended that these are worn from the time passengers enter the departure airport to the time they leave their destination airport.

Initially, when flights resume, the in-flight service will be suspended to reduce interaction between our crew and passengers. Passengers will be encouraged to remain seated while on board.

At the airport:

Stobart Air have introduced new boarding and disembarkation procedures to reduce passenger interaction. Passengers will board and disembark the aircraft in small groups and according to seat row numbers. At the boarding gate, customers will scan their own boarding card and show their passport or ID to the staff member, making this process contactless.

“We continuously strive to provide our passengers with frequent, convenient and affordable services. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board this new route from Edinburgh from 27 August.”