Aer Lingus takes 1,200 bookings for Belfast route

Aer Lingus has so far taken 1,200 bookings for its new Belfast-Heathrow route, which is set to be launched on January 14th.

"There's been good demand for Heathrow and we're very satisfied with the level of bookings," Aer Lingus commercial director Enda Corneille said yesterday, dismissing suggestions that bookings have been soft.

Mr Corneille said it has taken 13,000 advance bookings for its new Belfast routes. They are coming in at 2,000 a week.

The Belfast to Heathrow service is one of eight routes that Aer Lingus will launch between mid December and the end of February.

Belfast is the airline's first base outside the Republic and the maiden flight will take off at 6.15am to Amsterdam on December 10th.

"There's been big demand for our services to Faro and Malaga in the summer," he said. The new service to London will operate using slots at Heathrow currently used for its service to Shannon, which will cease on January 13th.

The move is vehemently opposed by business and other interests in the western region.

CityJet, the Swords-based subsidiary of Air France, said yesterday it is still evaluating the possibility of launching replacement services to London City Airport and Charles de Gaulle in Paris following talks recently with the Shannon Airport Authority.

"CityJet is still reviewing the commercial viability of the [ Shannon] route and no decision has been made yet," a spokesman for the airline said.

Any new service would not launch before Aer Lingus quits the Heathrow route on January 13th and is contingent on the availability of aircraft. CityJet already operates services from Dublin to London and Paris and from Belfast to London.

Charles de Gaulle is one of Europe's biggest hubs and a service from Shannon would offer passengers the opportunity to connect with flights to about 400 international destinations.

It is understood that about 60 per cent of the traffic on CityJet's Dublin to Paris route comprises transit passengers travelling to or from other airports. Sources said Paris was the more likely option to be pursued by CityJet from Shannon as it would yield transit traffic. London City offers fewer onward connections and would be a point-to-point service.

With Ryanair already operating from Shannon to London airports Stansted, Gatwick and Luton, CityJet might be reluctant to add this route to its schedule.

CityJet recently announced a $221 million (€156 million) renewal of its fleet that will see it take delivery of 23 new aircraft. The airline this week announced plans to launch a daily service between London and Strasbourg.