Regional connectivity of Aer-Lingus was shocked when Stobart Air started the process of Liquidation , but Today, as expected Conor McCarthy's Emerald Airlines is in as a Franchise, and Aer-Lingus has announced a ten-year franchise agreement with Emerald Airlines to operate its regional flights from January 2023.
The agreement will enable Emerald Airlines operating Aer Lingus regional flights between the island of Ireland and regional airports in the UK , Isle of Man and Jersey.
All Aer Lingus regional flights operated by Stobart Air were cancelled unexpectedly in the month of June after the latter terminated the agreement and went ino liquidation. In the interim, Aer Lingus has been operating six of the 12 routes using its mainline aircrafts .
Speaking about the new franchise agreement, our Chief Executive, Lynne Embleton, said “We are delighted to sign the franchise agreement with Emerald Airlines and excited about the opportunities this new chapter in Aer Lingus Regional services brings to our overall offering for our customers.
This agreement will give choice and certainty to our customers flying between Ireland, the UK and beyond. We very much look forward to partnering with Emerald Airlines, and to growing and developing Aer Lingus Regional over the coming years.”
Conor McCarthy, Founder and Chief Executive of Emerald Airlines said “This is a major development for Irish Aviation and the wider tourism industry. The combined strengths of both airlines will allow us to offer optimised connectivity from popular cities and routes across Ireland, the UK and beyond.
Emerald Airlines have ambitious plans to grow and develop this partnership over the next few years with the first ATR aircraft joining shortly. As we add additional aircraft to our fleet we will be recruiting 400+ new staff members which is a great boost for the industry which has been so badly impacted by the pandemic.”
To cover the rest, BA CityFlyer has been operating four additional routes for the rest of the summer period.
Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embelton said, the franchise agreement marks a “new chapter” in the airline’s regional services.
We're charmed to welcome Emerald Airlines to the family ☘️
— Aer Lingus (@AerLingus) August 4, 2021
From January 2023 Emerald will operate our regional routes between Ireland, the UK and the Isle of Man ✈️
Embelton said the deal will also support the airline’s Dublin Hub strategy by providing connectivity of UK provincial airports to North America via Dublin.
“Aer Lingus’s strategic intent to develop Dublin Airport as a hub between Europe and the US, to deliver greater connectivity and aviation jobs, is significantly boosted by today’s announcement,” said Embelton.
Aer Lingus sought bids late last year from carriers interested in taking on the regional contract, which was due to expire in December 2022. Stobart had tendered again, but Emerald emerged as the preferred bidder.
Picture : Conor McCarthy, Founder and Chief Executive, Emerald Airlines and Reid Moody, Chief Strategy & Planning Officer, Aer Lingus with cabin crew from Emerald Airlines and Aer Lingus.
