Aer Lingus wins British Government contract

Aer Lingus has won a lucrative two year deal to fly civil servants on the London Heathrow - Belfast International route. The contract is estimated to be worth £500,000 per year.

The Department of Finance and Personnel in the Northern Ireland Civil Service confirmed to the BBC that in a nine month period last year, civil servants took a total of 2,584 trips with bmi from Belfast City Airport to Heathrow. The resulting bill of £514,503 worked out at £199 per seat.

Less than 10% of civil servants chose the cheaper option of flying from Belfast International, 45 minutes from the City Centre.

The Department of Finance confirmed that it was long standing policy to avail of the most cost effective method travel.

Aer Lingus are reportedly considering adding a fourth daily flight on the Belfast International - Heathrow route as a result of winning the contract.

The taxi bill for ferrying civil servants to and from Belfast International could make interesting reading once the Aer Lingus contract starts !