Aer Lingus flights from Belfast-London to be suspended ‘temporarily’ as trade union blames Brexit for changes

Aer Lingus flights from Belfast to London are set to be axed (Niall Carson/PA)

Kurtis Reid

Aer Lingus has said it is only temporarily removing a route from Belfast to Heathrow from their flights – as a trade union group warned the change will be “hugely disruptive” for the airline's staff.

The trade union group Forsa has said Aer Lingus staff working on the flights between London and Belfast City Airport will “be redeployed at the end of the month”.

It’s believed the decision to remove the long-standing route is connected to Aer Lingus’s air operators certificate expiring at the end of October.

In a statement, Aer Lingus said they are “very keen to continue operating the Belfast City - Heathrow London service” and are “engaging with the relevant authorities in order to allow us to continue to serve this route into the future.”

"For the upcoming Winter season we will be working with our sister airline, British Airways, to ensure there is continuity of service and no impact to any of our passengers journeys. Customers should continue to book their trips on aerlingus.com” they added.

Irish trade union Forsa have claimed the Irish airline is “prohibited” by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from “operating internal domestic flights" which includes the Belfast-London route.

The cut to the flights is expected to affect around 30 staff, with roles to be divided in positions in Dublin and Belfast.

The trade union group has said three members of staff have opted to take unpaid leave in the wake of the axing.

The Aer Lingus Regional service at Belfast City Airport is not expected to be affected.

In a statement the Civil Aviation Authority said: "After the UK left the European Union, all UK-based airlines have to operate under a UK operating licence which governs the traffic rights they may hold."

“Under current legislation and international agreement, EU carriers such as Aer Lingus, are not permitted to operate scheduled services on UK domestic routes."

Eugene Gargan from Forsa told the Irish News he blamed Brexit for the changes to the airline’s services in Belfast.

“This is, unfortunately, another unforeseen and disastrous consequence of Brexit,” he said.

“The cabin crew in Belfast were offered the option of redeployment to Manchester or Dublin, or to other duties in Belfast.

“These are a group of workers who have helped the company establish a prosperous route between Belfast and London.

“As a consequence of the disruptive effect of Brexit on integrated flight operations across Europe, the crew have lost remuneration, absorbed increased working costs and endured disruption to their home and work lives,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Department of the Economy confirmed Economy Minister Gordon Lyons was aware of the planned axing of the route.

In a statement the department said when he was made aware in September he “organised an urgent meeting” with the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Steve Baker MP.

The statement added “This meeting was also attended by senior executives from George Best Belfast City Airport. At this meeting a number of possible solutions were presented to the NIO that would secure this vital service.

"It is therefore disappointing that despite repeated contact from the Department to the NIO, no response has yet been received.”