WRIGHTBUS announced it reached 1,000 employees since it was bought out of administration by Jo Bamford. Around 1,200 jobs were lost when the business collapsed in October 2019. The company said it will surpass that figure in 2023.
A new low-cost transatlantic airline was launched at Belfast International Airport in November. Fly Atlantic plans to be operational by the summer of 2024, offering direct flights to the US and Canada. The start-up carrier, which is the brainchild of industry veteran Andrew Pyne, plans to launch with six aircraft based at Aldergrove. But the ambitious project could eventually see 18 jets in its fleet by 2028, flying directly to 35 European, North American and even Middle Eastern destinations, potentially creating 1,000 jobs.
The announcement came as the aviation sector continued its recovery toward the end of 2022. EasyJet also announced plans to expand its operation in the north.
At least eight hotels in Northern Ireland were being used to house asylum seekers and refugees as part of government contracts, the Irish News reported in November. It left around 10-15 per cent of the north's overall hotel stock unavailable to book.
Shipbuilding looks to be returning to Harland and Wolff’s Belfast yard after the UK Government announced its preferred bidder for a new £1.6bn contract in November. Team Resolute, which includes Harland and Wolff, was selected as the lead bidder for the fleet solid support contract to build new support ships for the Royal Navy. Subject to Treasury approval in early 2023, it will see final assembly for the three vessels - each the length of two Premier League football pitches (216 metres) - take place in Belfast. Construction is due to start in 2025, with all three ships expected to be operational by 2032.
The owners of a popular Belfast café destroyed in a fire in October announced plans to reopen in the former Hadskis premises in Commercial Court. It came after well-known chef Niall McKenna offered his old restaurant to Ryan Crown and Oisin McEvoy. The pair, who launched their Donegall Street hospitality venture in November 2021 were among the businesses left devastated by the inferno in Cathedral Buildings on October 3.
The Friend at Hand unveiled its new whiskey museum to the world in November after a £2m investment. The Belfast Cathedral Quarter venue boasts the largest collection of Irish whiskeys in the world and is expected to become a major focal point for the ongoing resurgence of the Irish whiskey industry across the north and the island of Ireland.
Hospitality veteran Adrian McLaughlin launched a new 19-bedroom accommodation venture in Belfast city centre in November. Bank Square Townhouse is located next to the well-known Mourne Seafood restaurant and historic Belfast pub Kelly’s Cellars. A native of Ballymena, Adrian McLaughlin ran The Merchant Hotel for six years before going on to run the Gibson Hotel in Dublin and then Carton House in Kildare.
A Belfast green tech firm said it expects to create around 100 new jobs after developing a new way of making green hydrogen. Catagen, which was spun out of the research of Queen’s University academic Dr Andrew Woods, announced five new green energy products during November.
The Irish News revealed details of a potential scheme to introduce a driverless bus into Belfast Harbour. Under the plan, passengers would be able travel from Translink’s Sydenham Halt all the way down Queen's Road to the Catalyst building in vehicle without a driver.
