Jet2, the low-cost airline based in Leeds, England, has announced that it will operate flights from Belfast International Airport in Belfast in Northern Ireland to Newquay, the seaside resort and fishing port on the north Atlantic coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom, and Dubrovnik in Croatia.

The low-fare flights from Belfast International Airport to Dubrovnik will start from May 2, 2009, and the flight to Newquay begins from May 24, 2009. Flights for both new destinations are now on sale.

However, Jet2 also is stopping its service to Barcelona in Spain from Belfast International Airport from October 26, 2008. The stoppage is because Barcelona, which is now linked to Belfast International Airport by flights with Aer Lingus and easyJet, is “over-serviced,” the company said.

In a statement, Jet2 said the airline would refund anyone with Barcelona flights booked after October 26, 2008. Passengers can also transfer their flights free of charge to another of Jet2’s 14 destinations served from Belfast International Airport, including Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and Murcia (Alicante) within seven days of their original dates of travel.

The new routes are expected to create around 50 new jobs at Belfast International Airport.

Jet2 at present operates services from five hubs in the United Kingdom to about 40 European destinations and also offers contract charter services. Its main base is Leeds Bradford International Airport, with hubs at Manchester Airport, Belfast International Airport, Blackpool International Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Newcastle Airport.

British media has reported that Jet2 has more plans for Belfast and that the carrier will start services to more leisure destinations across Europe.

Jet2 plans to introduce a new service from Manchester to the Greek island of Rhodes during next summer.

Philip Meeson, chief executive of Jet2, said in the statement: “These are exciting times for us and, unlike other airlines which are grounding planes due to hard times, we are expanding our range of destinations and are planning to increase our overall capacity from Northern Ireland. We have just announced record trading and load factors and we have been able to do this by introducing exciting leisure destinations that our customers want, at great value fares, at the times they want to fly.”

Describing Croatia as “an absolutely wonderful holiday destination on the Adriatic Coast offering the same great weather as the Mediterranean,” Philip Meeson added: “While Cornwall is the great British holiday destination ideal for families, surfers and lovers of first class regional food.”