The new operator at City will be Aer Lingus, no surprise there. The surprise will be in the route network they are planning to operate, mainly domestic with a smattering of sun routes at some later stage. Don't think we'll hear offically until middle of next month but I am assured this is correct information. flybe will not be too happy.
larry the man, if you are correct, in terms of mainly domestic, if this is more than a London Heathrow route at high frequency, all that I can say is that suicide is painless. Aer Lingus only fly LGW, MAN, BHX, LHR and JER (in ther own rite) from Dublin and the others simply dont work with airbus size ac (and Dublin is strong territory for EI), and in Belfast not only do they have a strong easyJet to worry about, Flybe have the high frequency domestics covered and EI would be in very dangerous waters.
As regards European routes coming later on, this would be a huge mistake, ie to stop them now after spending so much time developing them. After so much investment etc.
Unless Easyjets 'new routes' are Tenerife and Lanzarote and Aer Lingus are already giving up the fight...
EI-BUD