Carlisle Lake District airport is due to open for commercial operations on 4 July after facing delays last year.
Flights were originally due to begin last June, but a shortage of air traffic control (ATC) staff forced the opening to be pushed back until September. In August, continuing ATC issues caused Carlisle to delay its opening again until this year.
Now, Carlisle airport says Loganair will begin offering flights to Belfast City, Dublin and Southend on Thursday, 4 July – the first commercial services to take off from the airport in more than 25 years.
Belfast City flights will operate Thursdays to Sundays at 1140, with one 1050 service on Mondays. Return flights depart at 1300 Thursday to Sunday and 1210 on Mondays.
Meanwhile, Dublin services will depart at 0710 on Fridays and Saturdays, 0800 on Thursdays and Sundays, and 1340 on Mondays. Return flights depart at 0855, 0945, or 1525.
Lastly, flights to Southend depart at 1420 Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, as well as 0700 on Mondays. Return flights depart at 1615 (0855 on Mondays).
Loganair commercial director Kay Ryan said: “There is huge demand for passengers in Ireland to visit Carlisle, which is home to major engineering, manufacturing and logistics industries and serves as a gateway to the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We also anticipate strong interest from passengers in Carlisle and the Scottish Borderlands area who are eager to spend time in Ireland.”
The news comes after Loganair announced it would launch services between Scotland and Southend airport.
carlisleairport.co.uk; loganair.co.uk