Easyjet to fly from city airport

Passengers already booked on the route will be offered a transfer or refund

Easyjet is to move one of its routes from Belfast International Airport to the George Best Belfast City Airport.

A twice-daily service to London Luton will leave from the city airport from 7 January 2010.

A statement from Easyjet said if the move was successful they would consider "additional routes over time" from the city site.

It went on to say that the bulk of the company's operations would remain at Belfast International Airport.

"We want to see if our passengers flying on selected shorter routes would prefer to fly via Belfast City Airport," said Paul Simmons, regional general manager for Easyjet.

"The only way to actually do this properly is to run a route from there.

"We will take our time in assessing the passenger feedback and then take a view on how best to configure our operations between the two airports in the longer term".

George Best Belfast City Airport Chief Executive Brian Ambrose said he was delighted Easyjet had selected Luton as its first route for the airport.

He said: "I am certain that the continuing private investment by our owners in the airport's infrastructure, aimed at enhancing the customer experience, will appeal to Easyjet passengers.

"The arrival of another premier airline to Belfast City will be welcome news for our growing customer base."

Passengers who have already booked to travel between Luton and Belfast International from 7 January onwards will be contacted and advised they can either transfer free of charge to the Belfast City route or claim a full refund.