Aer Lingus has said that it is introducing additional flight frequency on its Belfast City to London Heathrow service, after images emerged of a packed flight.
Pictures shared of the flight yesterday morning showed row after row filled with passengers.
A review was carried out by the airline when the images emerged, which showed no apparent evidence of social distancing measures on the flight in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swan criticised Aer Lingus, and warned against public complacency in the fight against the virus.
In a statement, the airline said that it has contacted passengers and advised them to give themselves additional time at the airport before their flight, partly due to a change in boarding procedure.
It said: "The check-in process will take longer as an increased number of bags will be checked into the hold of the aircraft. In addition there will be changes to the boarding procedure and there will be no in-flight service provided on board.
"In order to reduce the operational pressure involved in implementing these measures, Aer Lingus is putting on an additional flight frequency on each day of operation of the service. The two services will depart at 08:45 and 09:45 on each day of operation. It is expected that this additional frequency will result in reduced loads on each flight."
Aer Lingus said the safety of its passengers and crew is a priority, and will implement the changes "as a matter of urgency".
Sean Mallon, who was a passenger on the flight, told BBC Radio Ulster there was "no social distancing whatsoever".
"I would say there was about 95% of the seats taken on the flight," he said.
This was the @AerLingus flight from @BELFASTCITY_AIR to @londonheathrow this morning at 8:45. No social distancing taking place - one passenger told me they weren't given any advice on how to keep themselves safe. More on @BBCevex next @taramillstv @NewsDeclan pic.twitter.com/eeAfcGf23O
— Kelly Bonner (@KellyBonner) May 4, 2020
In an earlier statement, Aer Lingus said: "In light of the unexpectedly high loads on the Belfast-London Heathrow service this morning and the level of demand for the route, Aer Lingus is reviewing its processes and procedures applicable to the operation of this service.
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Belfast City Airport is working "around the clock" to make it as safe as possible for travellers, its chief executive said.
Brian Ambrose said that yesterday saw the first big influx of passengers since the virus outbreak, with 154 people on the flight.
He told the BBC's Stephen Nolan Show: "Measures yesterday were not up to our usual standards. The people at the airport will not be found wanting to find solutions."
He said no-one has yet found a solution to keep people two metres apart on an aeroplane.
Mr Ambrose added that one of the "pinch points" happened when customers took their hand luggage to repack it after clearing security.
He said he is still reviewing whether measures put in place around social distancing yesterday were inadequate or whether not enough staff were present to ensure passengers adhered to restrictions.
Until yesterday only 30 or 40 passengers had been using the Heathrow flight and were mainly medical workers.
Mr Ambrose added: "I don't want to jump to any conclusions. The pinch points had not emerged until yesterday."
