History made as new Edinburgh and Liverpool easyJet flights take off from City of Derry airport

History was made as the new EasyJet routes started taking off from the City of Derry airport.

As the wheels of the plane made contact with the runway, history was made, as the first EasyJet plane had landed in Derry.

When the easyJet customers exited the plane that had just landed to be greeted by staff and the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council from Edinburgh, many of them were unaware they had taken part in this historic moment.

Flights to and from Edinburgh and Liverpool will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays starting November 4.

Passengers that were making their way from the Maiden City to Great Britain were offered champagne and buns to celebrate the historic day for the airport.

City of Derry Airport's managing director Steve Frazer said: “It is fantastic to get two of our most popular routes back with Edinburgh and Liverpool, and it is great to see EasyJet back in the north west, operating from the City of Derry, so we are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship. 

“We would like to in the future see the expansion of these routes and explore potential other destinations, with Bristol and Newcastle on our targets, both being easyJet locations.”

Speaking on the new routes launch on November 4, Odhran Dunne, chief executive of VisitDerry, said: “There was a fantastic buzz around the airport. There were so many departures going right across Great Britain.

“From Visit Derry’s perspective, it is all about growing the inbound tourism, whether that is leisure tourism or corporate and business travel, so I think this is a fantastic opportunity for the region to grow and do that.

“Access is critical to grow any regional economy, and the City of Derry provides us with the opportunity to give us sustainable growth, so it is great that these two destinations, Edinburgh and Liverpool, where there has always been demand for inbound tourism from those markets, so it is fantastic to see the flights launched today. Long may it continue.”