Flights are operated by Stobart Air, which has established a new base at Belfast with five ATR72-600 aircraft. The carrier will add East Midlands and Leeds Bradford from 1 October and is already serving Edinburgh and Exeter from Northern Ireland.

Manchester fares start from £29.99 one way including taxes.

Julian Carr, Manchester airport aviation director said: “It’s great to see flights to Belfast City take off from Manchester airport today, giving our passengers greater choice and flexibility when accessing the capital of Northern Ireland. I imagine the flights will be extremely popular for all passengers looking to access the city.
 
“Furthermore, the flights will also provide excellent onward connectivity for the people of Northern Ireland, who will have easy access to our international long-haul network.”
 
Stobart Air managing director Andy Jolly added: “Stobart Air has worked hard over the past number of months to protect our airline during challenging times and to position us for the future. The launch of this service is part of that.”