Eastern Airways is to introduce its first ever service from Cardiff Airport to Belfast City Airport, as Wales regains its air service connection to Northern Ireland.

The UK’s regional airline will commence services from 11 January 2021 between the two cities, which will be the only air service linking Wales with the entire island of Ireland, and is a former route operated by Flybe.

Daily weekday and a Sunday service will operate with fares on the new route starting from £79.99 one-way, including taxes and charges. The flights are now available to book at www.easternairways.com and all fares also include 15kg of complimentary hold baggage.

Roger Hage, General Manager Commercial & Operations for Eastern Airways, said:

“As the UK’s regional airline serving all four home nations, ensuring the right services and frequencies are offered as passenger confidence returns is essential. The introduction of a Belfast City service from Cardiff is one so many have been asking for so connectivity between Wales and Northern Ireland is in-place as the appetite for travel increases. Eastern Airways is all about supporting the regions of the UK, connecting people and places, so adding further services at hubs we already serve is another crucial part in the economic recovery and prosperity of Wales and Northern Ireland.”

Spencer Birns, Interim CEO at Cardiff Airport said:

“Today's announcement is a hugely positive step and we are delighted that Eastern Airways has stepped in to re-instate a regular service between Cardiff and Belfast, offering vital connectivity between Wales and Northern Ireland.

“Belfast has been one of our most in-demand routes since Flybe entered administration for both customers travelling for work, or to visit friends and family. We’d like to thank Eastern Airways for their continued confidence in regional connectivity from Cardiff.”

Katy Best, Commercial Director at Belfast City Airport, added:

“Today’s announcement that Belfast City Airport will once again operate flights to Cardiff is not only a positive development for the airport itself, but also extremely welcome news for passengers who regularly travel to Wales. The popular route to Cardiff was previously operated by Flybe before the airline entered into administration in March 2020, and there has been huge demand since for it to be reinstated.

“Despite the challenging aviation environment of recent months, we continued exploring options to secure connectivity with the Welsh capital, and we’re very happy that our partner Eastern Airways has committed to this service.”

Eastern Airways’ services continue to be carefully reintroduced since Covid-19 restrictions were easing with extensive cleaning measures on-board and throughout all aspects of the airport for the safety of all passengers. Also in January the airline aims to restart the Welsh Government PSO internal route from Cardiff to Anglesey.

Cardiff Airport remains open with a number of safety measures in place so that customers can travel safely and with confidence. New measures include enhanced cleaning, more hand sanitizer points, Perspex screens, wearing of face coverings and installing clear signage and guidance throughout the terminal to ensure social distancing. All Airport teams are fully trained on COVID-19 and are wearing face coverings and appropriate PPE to keep people safe.