As travel restrictions ease, many of us may be looking towards a trip away from Northern Ireland, whether it’s to sunnier climates or somewhere closer to home.
The self-isolation requirement for travel within the common travel area (CTA) has recently been scrapped, but the Northern Ireland Executive has advised that travellers should take a lateral flow coronavirus test before they depart, and again on days two and eight of their stay.
Graham Keddie, managing director of Belfast International Airport, has welcomed the news, and urged passengers to familiarise themselves with the travel rules.
He said: “If you are planning on a trip, we would ask that passengers are patient and familiarise themselves with the current rules around air travel.
“Queues will be expected as we need to maintain social distancing and we would ask that passengers arrive two hours prior to departure.
“Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms must stay away from the airport and passengers must adhere to all the public health guidelines as we start to increase our flights and passenger flow.”
Countries within the CTA include the rest of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
Here are the airlines and routes currently flying from Belfast airports to these spots.
Flights to the common travel area from Belfast City Airport
Aer Lingus, British Airways, Eastern Airways, and Loganair have routes that connect Northern Ireland to parts of the common travel area.
England
Aer Lingus:
- Birmingham
- East Midlands
- Exeter
- London Heathrow
- Manchester
- Newquay
British Airways:
- London City
- London Heathrow
Eastern Airways:
- Southampton
Loganair:
- Teeside International
- Norwich
- Southampton
Wales
Both Aer Lingus and Eastern Airways operate flights from Belfast City Airport to Cardiff.
Scotland
Aer Lingus:
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
Loganair:
- Aberdeen
- Benbecula
- Barra
- Dundee
- Glasgow
- Inverness
- Islay
- Kirkwall
- Stornoway
- Sumburgh
- Tiree
Isle of Man
Loganair are the only airline that operate flights from Belfast City Airport to the Isle of Man.
Flights to the common travel area from Belfast International Airport
When it comes to Belfast International Airport, easyJet are the only airline with routes that connect Northern Ireland to areas within the common travel area.
The destinations they offer flights to currently are:
England
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Bournemouth
- Liverpool
- London (Gatwick, Luton, Stansted)
- Manchester
- Newcastle
Scotland
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Inverness
- Central Scotland
Isle of Man and Channel Islands
easyJet also offer a route between Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man as well as Jersey in the Channel Islands.
