Doubts emerge over Cork-Brussels flights

Doubts have emerged over the future of the Cork to Brussels Aer Lingus flight after the route did not make the first round of the airline’s online booking ‘loading’ system.

The route from Cork to Brussels is seasonal and has operated twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, since summer 2012.

It was always due to be shelved for the winter months, but whereas a number of other routes have already been announced for next summer from Cork Airport, the Brussels flight is not among them.

When contacted, Aer Lingus did not confirm that the flight would not be reinstated for the summer 2016 season, beginning in April.

“We recently announced a wide range of additional flights from Cork for summer 2016, including a new route to Dusseldorf and extra flights to Paris, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca, however we have yet to finalise the schedule in full. More details will be available in the coming weeks,” said an Aer Lingus spokesman.

It is possible that the route has not made the first draft of the airline’s online booking system and could yet be reinstated, but there are concerns that the route to the Belgian capital might not be an option for air travellers in mid-2016.

Aer Lingus already operates a year-round service to Brussels from Dublin, with more than one flight a day.

It is not known what level of passenger take-up there has been for the flights from Cork, which run on a 174-seat aircraft.

Cork Airport has recently announced new direct flights to Boston and Barcelona with Norwegian, beginning from May of next year, while CityJet will offer a direct service to London City Airport, while other new routes include Cork to Nantes and La Rochelle from next June.