Flybe planning Belfast to Majorca air link

FLYBE has unveiled plans for a new direct service from Belfast to Majorca – provided the night-time curfew at City Airport is relaxed.

The airline’s managing director Jim French said they were examining plans for a weekend scheduled service to the Balearic Islands or southern Spain.

The outline proposal is for a departure from Belfast City at 11pm, with the return flight landing at around 6am.

The plan is bound to be opposed by local residents, who are adamant that the current ban on flights between 9.30pm and 6.30am should be retained.

Mr French said: “We welcome the forthcoming review of the night-time curfew and if there is a re-think, we would be keen to start this new service.

“The plan would be to make use of one of our BAe 146 whisper jets that is usually parked overnight on the tarmac at City Airport.

“We would be keen to develop a scheduled service to the Balearics or southern Spain which would operate on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

“We think it would be attractive to people from Northern Ireland, particularly those with second homes in the area.”

So far, the flybe proposal is at an initial stage, but the aircraft would have to be back in Belfast in time to be prepared for a breakfast-time departure.

Mr French said the airline was aware that residents had concerns, but said it would help the airline enormously if the curfew was eased on certain days during the week.

Mr French was speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh at which the airline confirmed its plans for an expansion of its operations from Belfast City.

The low-cost airline is next month taking over the routes to Edinburgh and Glasgow which are being ditched by British Airways next month.

The switch on the Edinburgh route takes place on March 1, which flybe takes over the Glasgow service on March 28.

The Edinburgh operation will move from two flights a day to four in April, while Glasgow will be four flights a day from the outset.