Emerald Airlines emerges as Belfast City Airport’s biggest carrier

After a “rollercoaster” first year of operations, Emerald Airlines has quickly expanded and is the carrier with the biggest operations out of Belfast City Airport. Founder and executive chairman Conor McCarthy said the Dublin-based airline, which operates regional flights for Ireland’s flag carrier Aer Lingus, added routes out Belfast after the demise of Flybe in early 2023. Around two weeks before the rival carrier’s collapse, Emerald celebrated its millionth passenger, a landmark arrived at within a year of its first commercial flight in February 2022. The intervening months have seen Emerald frequently in the news as it added routes linking