Year-round Easyjet flights from Birmingham to Belfast are to go on sale on 23rd April.

Initially this will be a daily service between Birmingham and Belfast International, but it will increase to 12 flights a week from 29th October.

Vueling is to reintroduce flights from Edinburgh to Barcelona this summer. Flights are already on sale for the three times a week service due to start on 23rd June.

Happy New Year to all our readers! Before we move on to this year’s news, here’s a round up of some of the biggest stories we covered on this blog in 2011, it certainly was an eventful year!

January started with the troubled BMI threatening to withdraw its Heathrow – Glasgow route after passenger charges at Heathrow were raised (this was confirmed a month later). Ryanair returned to Manchester with four new routes. And the political troubles in Egypt disrupted flights.

Spiraling conflict in Egypt caused complete cancellation of routes to popular holiday destinations in February. Meanwhile, Which? launched a super complaint on airline card fee charges,the cost of Qantas’ engine troubles were revealed, and airlines flying from the UK finally started to show clearer air fares.

March brought faster flight times under a deal signed by traffic controllers. But by far the biggest news of the month was the huge tsunami which hit Japan and led to re-routing of flights to avoid possible radiation risk, and advice to leave Tokyo.

A Skyscanner survey found Spain back in favour for British holidaymakers in April.

In May Belfast Airport started to charge for going for a cigarette break, and the ongoing battle between Unite and British Airways was finally settled!

More natural disasters happened in June with violent aftershocks in Christchurch, New Zealand and volcanic eruptions in Chile.

The News of the World phone-hacking scandal broke in July with airlines withdrawing their advertisements as a result.

In August research revealed the use of smartphones were ruining people’s holidays.

The Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand in September, where Wales’ hopes were dashed.

The first biofuel passenger flight took place in October, however green campaigners claimed it wasn’t as environmentally friendly as everyone thought.

Europe announced a ban on body scanners at airports in November, but the UK decided to go against the decision.

Finally, December saw 150mph winds hit parts of Scotland, which is where we are now at the start of 2012 as tremendous winds continue to batter the UK once more.

So, what travel news is in store for 2012? Keep up to date here!

New Year and Christmas is proving to be an even more popular time for holidaymakers to leave the UK in search of a different festive experience. According to ABTA, it estimates that 4.25 million Brits will be travelling away during this period compared to just under 4 million last year.

Peak travel days are expected to be 22nd and 23rd December so holidaymakers can touch down and settle in just before Christmas day.

Types of holidays vary greatly, some opt for warmer climates such as the Canary Islands, Dominican Republic and Cuba, whereas others want a Christmas snow at ski locations.

Paris, Reykjavik, Rome, Dublin and New York are popular New Year’s Eve destinations for a party vibe.

Mark Tanzer ABTA chief executive said: “With all the doom and gloom of the economy it looks like people are keen to escape for a break, whether they are visiting friends and family or looking to enjoy winter sun or guaranteed snow.”

Check out lots of foreign holiday lets at the Villaseek website to get your perfect festive getaway sorted.

The city of Dublin has put emergency plans into place following widespread flooding yesterday.

Torrential rain in Dublin caused chaos and destruction yesterday according to the Irish Independent. A month’s rainfall fell in just one day, stranding motorists and flooding homes and businesses. The city’s main shopping centre had to be closed and evacuated as the water entered.

Travel chaos ensued as flights in and out of Dublin Airport were delayed, rail services cancelled and two of the country’s motorways closed or impassable.

Meteorologists have warned there is more heavy rain on the way, however it should not be as bad. The Irish weather service has issued a severe weather warning for Ulster and east Leinster.

The UK has not escaped either with parts of south-west England, northern Ireland and Wales suffering flooding. Coastal and river areas in Cornwall, Devon, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea have all now been issued with flood alerts.

Dublin airport is warning passengers to check access roads’ status before setting off to the airport, information can be found here.

Despite promising figures of an operating profit of €57.6 million (an improvement of €139 million), Aer Lingus has predicted a challenging 2011 financial year as its chief executive Christoph Mueller said current fuel prices would cause 2011 profit to be “significantly below 2010”.

He said: “We expect significant challenges in 2011, with trading for the year likely to be impacted by fuel price inflation and increased airport charges in combination with difficult conditions in our home market.

“We do not expect that improvements in yield performance and ongoing cost savings can offset these increased costs. If current fuel prices persist, we expect that 2011 operating profit will be significantly below that of 2010.”

The ash cloud and poor weather conditions meant Dublin Airport passengers declined by 10% yet still the carrier managed to return to profitability. The 2010 average yield per passenger was up 12% and ancillary revenue per passenger of €17.67 was up 5.5% compared to 2009.

In a bid to boost tourism, Ireland has decided to reduce its air passenger duty from  €10 to €3 starting in March 2011 until the end of the year when it will review its effectiveness.

However,it says the tax will be increased unless the airlines give “an appropriate response”.

Minister for finance, Brian Lenihan said: “I do not want to see the reduction in the tax being used by airlines as an opportunity to raise their fees and charges.”

The tax, paid by passengers departing from Irish airports, was introduced less than two years ago.

Ryanairchief Michael O’Leary said the reduction would do nothing to reverse a drop in air traffic as it was outweighed by a hike in airport fees.

What do readers of this blog think about the reduction? Will it make you more likely to visit Ireland?