FLIGHTS from Dublin to Glasgow and Edinburgh are among hundreds of new routes announced by Aer Lingus and Emerald Airlines.
The announcement is part of a move to expand Dublin as a hub airport, connecting more airports with US cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston through the UK routes.
Now Edinburgh and Glasgow will be served four times daily, reflecting the high-frequency of travel across the Irish Sea.
“Today is about opportunities,” Lynne Embleton, CEO of Aer Lingus said, announcing the news. “Opportunities for our UK customers to connect with ease to Aer Lingus flights to North America and to take advantage of the US pre-clearance facility. There will be more opportunities for customers across the UK and Ireland as we develop the Aer Lingus regional network and opportunities for the Irish economy and Irish aviation as we expand our hub at Dublin.
“It has been a pleasure to work with the team at Emerald Airlines to accelerate this partnership and start operations 10 months ahead of the original schedule. We are all looking forward to welcoming our customers on-board Aer Lingus Regional services, operated by Emerald Airlines.”
The partnership comes after a testing two years for Irish travel, with the Irish community in Scotland feeling more than most the difficulties which have resulted from restrictions and obstacles to visiting Ireland.
However, with major players in the Irish travel industry including Scotland in their plans for expansion following the downturn, hopes are high that good times for travel will come again.
Conor McCarthy, CEO of Emerald Airlines explained the detail of his company’s new routes, saying: “We’re delighted to be able to commence operations under our franchise agreement with Aer Lingus well ahead of plan in line with the recovering customer demand. The time is right for Emerald Airlines to begin operations under the Aer Lingus Regional brand and we truly look forward to welcoming our customers onboard our flights as soon as February.
“Our customer-focused schedules will offer choice, convenience and great value for both regional and transatlantic air travel. This announcement is a great boost for connectivity from Ireland to the UK, including cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Isle of Man, Newcastle, Bristol, and Leeds. Emerald Airlines will be offering a high-frequency schedule with convenient flight timings to facilitate both business and leisure passengers.”
The new routes and partnership will launch on St Patrick’s Day.
