Media Archive

Tuesday January 26th 2010: Aer Arann and Aer Lingus have today announced that agreement has been reached to establish a franchise arrangement between the two airlines.

Under this franchise agreement Aer Arann will operate 12 routes from Dublin and Cork . The routes will include current Aer Lingus and Aer Arann routes as well as 3 new routes.

These franchise services will be branded as "Aer Lingus Regional" and operated using Aer Arann ATR 72-500 aircraft and crew. All franchise flights will be sold and distributed through www.aerlingus.com . Aer Arann will assume full operational and commercial responsibility for the services covered by the franchise agreement with Aer Lingus receiving a franchise fee in recognition for providing its brand and product suite to Aer Arann.

The new agreement significantly increases Aer Lingus presence in the Ireland-UK market with new services to Ireland from Bristol , Blackpool, Cardiff , Doncaster/Sheffield, Durham, Glasgow and Edinburgh in addition to new seasonal services from Cork to Jersey in the Channel Islands and La Rochelle in France.

Welcoming the new agreement Aer Lingus Chief Executive Mr. Christoph Mueller said

"This franchise agreement is good news for all stakeholders in Aer Lingus as it will allow us to serve key regional destinations, linking them with our Dublin transatlantic network as well as offering our business and leisure customers improved schedule and frequency options."

Aer Arann Chief Executive Mr. Paul Schütz also welcomed the agreement calling it "a major development for Irish aviation and the tourism industry. The combined strengths of both airlines, including brand power and market presence, will allow us to offer a quality customer product that meets the capacity requirements of existing and new routes.

Aer Arann is a leading regional airline that is wholly-owned by its Chairman, Padraig O'Ceidigh. In addition to operating routes for Aer Lingus Regional the airline will continue to operate under its own Aer Arann brand on routes within Ireland , from Ireland to the UK and France and from the Isle of Man to London and Paris.

Aer Arann Media Contacts:

Andrew Kelly
Aer Arann
Tel: +353 1 844 7733
Mob:+353 85 711 7711
Email: andrew.kelly@aerarann.com

Gina Kelly
Aer Arann
Tel: +353 1 844 7788
Mob:+353 86 780 5451
Email: gina.kelly@aerarann.com

Notes to the editor

The following routes and frequencies will be covered by this franchise agreement.

• The Dublin-Glasgow route will increase to up to four roundtrips per day

• The Dublin-Edinburgh route will see an Aer Lingus  daily service supplemented by two Aer Arann round-trip services, one in the morning and one in the evening.

• Dublin to Cardiff - 3 Daily roundtrips
• Dublin to Blackpool - Daily service
• Dublin to Doncaster/Sheffield - Daily service

• Dublin to Durham Tees Valley - 6 roundtrips per week.

• A new service will be launched from Cork to Glasgow with six roundtrip services per week (excluding Tuesdays).

• Cork to Bristol - 6 roundtrips per week

•  Cork to Edinburgh - 11 roundtrips per week
•  Cork to Cardiff - Daily service

•  Cork to La Rochelle - 2 weekly
•  Cork Jersey - 2 weekly

Passengers who hold existing bookings on any of the services covered by this agreement will have their bookings amended and new travel documents will be issued without charge. Aer Arann will proactively contact each passenger with information on changes to their flight bookings

Aer Arann will continue to operate its own route network including flights between:

• Dublin and City of Derry , Donegal, Sligo , Ireland West Knock, Galway, Cork and the Isle of Man

• Galway and London Luton, Manchester , Edinburgh , Dublin and Lorient

• Waterford and London Luton, Manchester , Birmingham , Galway and Lorient

• Cork and Dublin and Belfast
  
• Donegal and Glasgow and Dublin