This morning lucky Northern Ireland holidaymakers were served up some tasty treats, in the theme of the Madeiran Flower Festival, which traditionally takes place on the Portuguese island throughout April and May.
The inaugural flight to Madeira is the first of a magnificent seven new destinations launching in the next week, as Jet2.com and Jet2holidays rolls out a massive Summer 18 programme at Belfast. The new route to Madeira is exclusive, meaning Jet2.com is the only airline flying to Funchal from the island of Ireland, a clear indicator of the company’s desire to give Northern Ireland holidaymakers even greater choice and flexibility when booking their holidays.
In total Jet2.com and Jet2holidays will operate to NINE BRAND NEW DESTINATIONS in Summer 18 from Belfast International, with 135,000 extra seats on sale and a larger Boeing 737-800 aircraft coming into the fleet to support a capacity increase of almost 50 per cent.
This means that the leading leisure airline and package holiday specialist will fly to 23 destinations from Belfast International in Summer 18, with over 420,000 seats on sale in total.
The nine new destinations from Belfast International with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays for Summer 18 are:
- Madeira – first flight on April 30th with weekly Monday services operating all-year round. Jet2.com is the only airline flying to this famous island, known for its green and rugged landscape, from the island of Ireland
- Paphos – first flight departs on May 2nd with a weekly Wednesday service operating until the end of October. Paphos is famed for its archaeological sites relating to Aphrodite, including ruins of palaces, tombs and mosaic-tiled villas
- Antalya – first flight on May 3rd with weekly Thursday services operating through to the end of October. Antalya offers Northern Ireland holidaymakers some of the best beaches in Turkey and a stylish mix of old and new, from ancient Roman temples to trendy waterfront bars
- Naples – first flight on May 4th with a weekly Friday service operating through to early October. Naples is one of Italy’s oldest, most artistic and most delicious cities, known for its culinary delights and access to the stunning Amalfi Coast
- Rhodes – first flight on May 4th with a weekly Friday service operating until the end of October, Rhodes is a picturesque Greek island, offering sandy beaches, lush forests, medieval towns and a buzzing nightlife
- Costa de Almeria – first flight on May 5th with two weekly services (Tuesday and Saturday) until late-September, Costa de Almeria offers Blue Flag beaches and white washed villages. Northern Ireland holidaymakers can take their pick from the family friendly resort of Roquetas de Mar or the historic village of Mojacar for authentic Spanish charm
- Crete (Heraklion) – first flight on May 7th with weekly Monday services operating through to the end of October. Sandy beaches, seafront tavernas, ancient palaces and neon nightlife – this sun-soaked island has the lot for Northern Ireland holidaymakers to enjoy.
- Dalaman – starting June 26th, a weekly Tuesday service will operate until the end of September. With resorts on the famous ‘turquoise coast’, Dalaman offers visitors stunning blue seas, vast beaches and ancient ruins
- Malta – with weekly Thursday services starting in early-April and operating until the end of October, Malta offers year-round sun and upbeat resorts like Sliema and St Julian’s. Visitors can tour Malta’s three UNESCO sites – made up of ancient temples, Roman ruins and medieval cities
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “Our new exclusive route to Madeira from Belfast is one of just nine brand new destinations that we will launch this summer, demonstrating our huge expansion here in Belfast. It marks the start of our biggest ever summer programme from Belfast International Airport, with more flights, seats and hotels than ever before with our award-winning airline and package holiday operator, giving Northern Ireland holidaymakers even more choice and flexibility. Such sustained growth is only possible by looking after customers, which shows that our continued investment into offering real package holidays and family friendly flights is working.”
