Ryanair said it is opening nine summer domestic UK routes in response to the government's recent 50% reduction to its air passenger duty.
Five of the routes, some which have been previously announced, are from Belfast, linking the city to Cardiff, Edinburgh, East Midlands, London Stansted and Manchester. There are to be four new Edinburgh routes, taking in Bournemouth, Newquay and Stansted as well as Belfast, while Newquay is to get a short hop to Stansted.
But the Irish carrier again said the 50% cut was not enough, in part as it does not cover international flights.
"Ryanair calls again on the UK Govt to fully abolish APD for all travel immediately, which would not only promote tourism, but also support job growth, and much needed connectivity to the UK – an island-based economy on the edge of Europe," the airline said in a March 31 statement.
"If we are to continue to grow and drive traffic/tourism recovery for the UK, the UK Govt should immediately scrap APD for all travel," said Jade Kirwan, the carrier's head of communications.