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Aer Lingus Regional

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Aer Lingus Regional
Aer Lingus Regional ATR 72-600 operated by Emerald Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
EI EAI
EAG 		GEMSTONE
GREENSTONE
Founded26 January 2010; 14 years ago (2010-01-26)
Commenced operations28 March 2010; 14 years ago (2010-03-28)
Hubs
Frequent-flyer program
Fleet size18
Destinations14
Parent companyAer Lingus
HeadquartersCloghran, County Dublin, Ireland
Websitewww.aerlingus.com

Aer Lingus Regional is an Aer Lingus brand which is used for commuter and regional flights. Aer Lingus Regional scheduled passenger services operate primarily from Ireland to the United Kingdom, France, and the Channel Islands, along with services from Belfast, Northern Ireland to the places mentioned. Services were operated by Aer Arann and then its successor Stobart Air until the latter's closure in June 2021. The contract for the franchise was then awarded to Emerald Airlines and services resumed on February 26, 2022.[2]

History

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Foundation with Aer Arann

[edit]
Main article: Aer Arann

The possibility of the brand, and associated operating arrangement were first announced on 6 January 2010, when Aer Lingus hinted to the media that it was interested in expanding its UK services with the help of what was then Aer Arann. It was also mentioned as solely a Cork expansion with no mention of Dublin, with Aer Lingus saying bulk seats would be bought on Aer Arann planes without an actual financial take-over.[3]

On 26 January 2010, it was confirmed that Aer Lingus and Aer Arann would launch a new franchise agreement. On that same date, new routes from Dublin to Doncaster-Sheffield and Durham Tees Valley were announced by Aer Lingus Regional, in addition to a new route from Cork to Glasgow.[4] It was also decided that previous Aer Arann routes to Cork would all be transferred to Aer Lingus Regional. Aer Arann services to Blackpool and Cardiff from Dublin would be transferred to Aer Lingus Regional also.

Though Aer Arann and Aer Lingus founded Aer Lingus Regional together, Aer Arann operated all flights and managed those flights with Aer Arann flight crew on board. All aircraft were painted in Aer Lingus Regional livery, and both airlines anticipated new routes being announced as the new venture between the two airlines grew.[5]

In March 2012, Aer Arann streamlined its own-branded services into Aer Lingus Regional, transferring to Aer Lingus Regional routes from Dublin to the Isle of Man and Kerry, Waterford to London-Luton, London-Southend and Manchester.[6] The airline later suspended all services from Waterford.[7]

In 2012, Aer Arann announced that it intended to purchase eight ATR 72-600 aircraft to help replace and expand its operations.[8] The first of these aircraft were delivered in late April 2013 and the remainder expected through 2024.[9]

Stobart Air

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Main article: Stobart Air

On 20 March 2014, Aer Arann announced its intention to re-brand and form Stobart Air to allow the company to seek further franchise agreements. There was no change to the operation of Aer Lingus Regional services.[10] On 27 November 2014, Stobart Air was awarded public service obligation (PSO) contracts between Dublin and Donegal Airport from 1 February 2015. The existing Dublin to Kerry Airport route was also extended to 2017. On the same date, all services to/from Shannon were confirmed to be axed from 5 January 2015, and the base there closed on the same date.[11][12] The airline later resumed services to/from Shannon.[13]

In January 2018, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, announced that Stobart Air would continue its two PSO routes, Dublin to Donegal and Kerry, until January 2022.[14] That year saw the airline adding an additional 70,000 seats during its winter season, with 580 flights a week.[15]

COVID-19

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all international flights were first reduced to a limited schedule and then temporarily suspended from 28 March 2020 until further notice. The two domestic PSO services continued, to maintain "vital links".[16]

Aer Lingus Group, together with Stobart Air, announced on 23 July 2020 that it was to establish a base at Belfast–City Airport with six new routes to Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds/Bradford and Manchester with five ATR72-600 aircraft based at Belfast City and over 200 weekly flights.[17] The news was welcomed by airport and government officials in what was described as "an extremely challenging environment" during the coronavirus pandemic.[18]

In 2021, due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air travel, Stobart Air temporally laid off most of its 400 employees, with only 16% of Stobart Air's workforce to be retained, primarily to operate the domestic Irish routes.[19]

End of Stobart Air

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When he was announcing the end of first quarter results for Aer Lingus' parent IAG in May 2020, Chief Executive Willie Walsh revealed that a different provider might operate the routes once the Stobart Air contract expired at the end of 2022.[20]

Following a competitive tender process in 2020, Stobart Air was not successful in retaining the Aer Lingus Regional Franchise. From January 2023 a new operator would take over, with Emerald Airlines as the preferred option.[21]

On 11 June 2021, Stobart Air informed Aer Lingus that it was terminating its franchise agreement, as the company was to be placed into liquidation, resulting in the cancellation of all Aer Lingus Regional flights, affecting 12 routes. Aer Lingus subsequently announced that it would operate five of these routes for the time being, and that BA CityFlyer would operate two for at least a week.[22] The former fleet of ATR planes was placed on the market by Stobart's principal shareholder.[23]

The Irish government sought an airline to operate the two PSO routes on a temporary basis before a new tender for a long-term contract.[24] Amapola Flyg was granted the Dublin–Donegal PSO route on a temporary basis,[25] while Ryanair launched Dublin–Kerry service on a commercial basis without PSO funding.[26]

Emerald Airlines

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Main article: Emerald Airlines

Emerald Airlines was confirmed as the Aer Lingus Regional franchise operator in August 2021,[27] leasing six ATR 72-600s from Chorus Aviation, formerly operated by Stobart Air and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines,[28] and planned to launch operations under the brand on 17 March 2022.[29] Prior to its planned launch, Emerald was granted the PSO route between Dublin and Donegal, accelerating the brand's relaunch of operations to 26 February 2022.[30]

Destinations

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Main article: List of Aer Lingus destinations

As of November 2024, Aer Lingus Regional operates or has previously operated to the following destinations:

Country City Airport Notes Refs
France La Rochelle La Rochelle–Île de Ré Airport Terminated
Rennes Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport Seasonal [31]
Ireland Cork Cork Airport [32]
Donegal Donegal Airport [30]
Dublin Dublin Airport Hub [29][30]
Kerry Kerry Airport Terminated
Shannon Shannon Airport Terminated
Waterford Waterford Airport Airport closed
United Kingdom Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport [33]
Belfast George Best Belfast City Airport Hub
Birmingham Birmingham Airport
Blackpool Blackpool Airport Airport closed [34]
Bournemouth Bournemouth Airport Terminated
Bristol Bristol Airport
Cardiff Cardiff Airport
Doncaster/Sheffield Doncaster Sheffield Airport Airport closed
East Midlands East Midlands Airport
Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport
Exeter Exeter Airport [31]
Glasgow Glasgow Airport [35]
Isle of Man Isle of Man Airport [29]
Jersey Jersey Airport Seasonal [29]
Leeds/Bradford Leeds Bradford Airport [31]
Liverpool Liverpool John Lennon Airport [36]
London London Southend Airport Terminated
Luton Airport Terminated
Manchester Manchester Airport
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle International Airport
Newquay Newquay Airport [31]
Southampton Southampton Airport
Teesside Teesside International Airport Terminated

Fleet

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See also: Emerald Airlines fleet

As of August 2023, Aer Lingus Regional — operated by Emerald Airlines — operates the following aircraft:[37]

Aer Lingus Regional fleet
Aircraft In service orders Passengers Notes
ATR 72-600 18 0 72 Operated by Emerald Airlines.
Total 18 0

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "AerClub - Aer Lingus". aerlingus.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Aer Lingus Regional service set for relaunch by October". Irish Independent. 5 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Aer Lingus ready to do Cork deal". Breaking News. 1 June 2010.
  4. ^ "AerArann.com - Home - AerArann.com". Archived from the original on 10 December 2005.
  5. ^ "News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com". Flightglobal.com.
  6. ^ "AerArann.com - Home - AerArann.com". Archived from the original on 5 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Aer Arann, operating as Aer Lingus Regional, to suspend services from Waterford Airport - News - AerArann.com". Archived from the original on 20 January 2013.
  8. ^ Moores, Victoria (11 July 2012). "Aer Arann to take eight ATR 72-600s". Aviation Week. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  9. ^ Van Leeuwen, Marcel (3 May 2023). "Aer Arann gets its first ATR 72-600". Aviation News EU. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Aer Arann set to rebrand as Stobart Air". RTE.ie. 20 March 2014.
  11. ^ Haynes, Michael (26 November 2014). "Aer Lingus Regional wins tender for Dublin-Kerry and Dublin-Donegal PSO routes". Business & Leadership. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Stobart Air to cease operations at Shannon Airport in new year". The Irish Times. 28 November 2014.
  13. ^ "AerLingus Adds Shannon – Birmingham Operation from June 2015". Routes Online. 9 April 2018.
  14. ^ "PSO Routes Awarded to Stobart Air". FlyingInIreland.com. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Aer Lingus Regional to increase capacity for winter 2018". Stobart Air. 19 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ "Aer Lingus Regional operator reduces schedule". rte.ie. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  17. ^ "6 new routes from Belfast City Airport". Aer Lingus Blog. Aer Lingus Group DAC. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  18. ^ "BELFAST CITY AIRPORT SECURES SIX ROUTES TO THE UK". Belfast City Airport. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Union criticises Stobart Air over staff layoffs". www.aerotime.aero. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Other carriers approach Aer Lingus in bid to operate its regional service". independent. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  21. ^ "McCarthy clinches contract for Aer Lingus Regional". Irish Independent. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  22. ^ Goodbody, Will (12 June 2021). "Aer Lingus regional flights operated by Stobart Air cancelled". RTÉ News. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  23. ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (14 June 2021). "Parent of collapsed Stobart Air trying to place ATR fleet with other operators". Flight Global. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  24. ^ Dunn, Graham (15 June 2021). "Ireland takes steps to reinstate former Stobart domestic flights". Flight Global.
  25. ^ "Ministers Ryan and Naughton announce Emerald Airlines as the new operator on the Government funded Donegal – Dublin PSO air route" (Press release). Department of Transportation (Ireland). 7 January 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  26. ^ Mulcahy, Nick (14 July 2021). "Ryanair Takes Over Dublin/Kerry Route". Business Plus. Ireland. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  27. ^ Casey, David (4 August 2021). "Emerald Airlines confirmed as Aer Lingus Regional operator". Routesonline. Informa Markets. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  28. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (23 August 2021). "Emerald Airlines to lease ATRs from Chorus Aviation". FlightGlobal. DVV Media Group. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  29. ^ a b c d Dyson, Molly (17 December 2021). "Aer Lingus and Emerald Airlines accelerate regional launch plans". Business Travel News Europe. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  30. ^ a b c "Ministers Ryan and Naughton announce Emerald Airlines as the new operator on the Government funded Donegal – Dublin PSO air route" (Press release). Irish Department of Transport. 7 January 2022.
  31. ^ a b c d "Dublin Airport Welcomes New Emerald Airlines Service from Dublin to Rennes". DublinAirport. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  32. ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA". 20 August 2024.
  33. ^ "AerLingus Adds Aberdeen / Southampton Service in NW22".
  34. ^ "Blackpool Airport Closes its Doors".
  35. ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA". 20 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Emerald Airlines - Aer Lingus Regional to Commence New Services to Liverpool and the Northwest of France to Brest, Brittany, from Dublin".
  37. ^ "Aer Lingus". www.aerlingus.com.
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Media related to Aer Lingus Regional at Wikimedia Commons

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