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The Aer Arann Story When Aer Arann operated its first commercial flight in 1970, its ambition was to provide a friendly, reliable, value for money air service to 1,000 islanders, located in Inis Mór, off the west coast of Ireland. In the 1980’s, a programme of well managed changes fuelled by Aer Arann’s unyielding spirit of independence, saw the airline expand its services beginning with the Dublin – Galway route, which remains hugely popular to this day. In 1994 ownership of the company changed hands falling under the stewardship of Padraig O’Ceidigh and a hard-working team. That year passenger traffic doubled, but just as importantly, the airline won its first award for service. In obtaining the ISO 9000 Quality Award, Aer Arann became the first European airline to achieve this accolade. In1998 the Government awarded Aer Arann the contract to operate the PSO Donegal to Dublin route and this was shortly followed by a Sligo - Dublin service. The moment had arrived to take the company to the next level and the UK became the obvious target for expansion. In order to simplify operations and maintenance procedures, and with a view to the next phase of the airline’s development, the company made a key decision to partner with one aircraft supplier, ATR. ATR is a joint venture within the Airbus family, with its final assembly lines in Toulouse alongside Airbus. They enjoy an excellent track record with over 140 operators in more than 80 countries and some 17 million flying hours. 2001 saw Aer Arann detach from Aer Arann Islands with the two becoming separate companies and airlines operating under their own independent Air Operator’s Certificates (AOC). This move signified the growth of the company as it became widely recognized as Ireland’s Regional Airline, offering vital air links from regional airports to major Irish hubs. 2002 marked further growth for Aer Arann as it launched its inaugural flight to the UK with the establishment of its Cork - Birmingham service. This hugely significant milestone which saw the airline move from a small domestic carrier to a premier regional airline offering customers in the regions throughout Ireland greater connectivity to major international hubs. In 2004, following the phenomenal success of the UK routes, the airline introduced its Lorient routes from Galway, Waterford and Cork, marking the airline’s first step into continental Europe. The routes proved extremely popular with holiday makers from the regions keen to experience a relaxing sun filled holiday without having to travel long distances to get there. Today Aer Arann operates approximately 400 flights per week throughout Ireland, the UK and to seasonal destinations such as France. Aer Arann currently has operating and engineering bases in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford and most recently the Isle of Man, where the airline launched a Isle of Man to London City service in January 2009 Along with its commercial accomplishments over the years the true success of the company lies in its ability to develop and expand while always maintaining the essence and values from which it originated. Aer Arann’s excellence in customer service was formally recognised in 2006 when Padraig O’Ceidigh was presented with the Palme D’Or European Regions Airline Association award for sustained excellence, reinforcing the airline’s belief that providing a progressive airline service doesn’t have to mean compromising the human touch. In 2007 Aer Arann signed an agreement for the delivery of new ATR 72-500 aircraft, the next generation in turboprop technology. .Aer Arann’s decision to purchase turboprop aircraft, as opposed to jet aircraft, was carefully calculated. The procurement rationale was chiefly based on the fact that turboprops are the most economic way to transport passengers on short-haul sectors. Four of these ATR 72-500 are now in service with the airline. In 2008 the airline launched a successful interline agreement with Aer Lingus from Cork allowing customers to connect directly to Aer Lingus transatlantic services from Cork Airport. Following that in February 2009, Aer Arann established a codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways. As a high quality airline with superior levels of service they demand equal levels of customer service from their codeshare partners which is real evidence of the quality of Aer Arann’s service. In addition, 2009 saw the airline introduce a number of new services designed to make both domestic and international travel with Aer Arann an even more convenient and pleasant experience. These include:
In January 2010, Aer Arann and Aer Lingus announced that an agreement had been reached to establish a franchise arrangement between the two airlines. Under this franchise agreement Aer Arann operates 12 routes from Dublin and Cork. The routes include what were existing current Aer Lingus and Aer Arann routes as well as 3 new routes. These franchise services are operated as “Aer Lingus Regional” using Aer Arann ATR 72-500 aircraft and crew. All franchise flights are sold and distributed through www.aerlingus.com. Aer Arann assumes 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. In March 2010, Aer Arann announced further developments the launch of new services from Kerry to Manchester and from Donegal to Glasgow International Airport, replacing the Donegal to Glasgow Prestwick service. Despite the challenging economic downturn Aer Arann has and will continue to deliver its promise to provide a value for money, convenient and efficient regional service to its customers. For further information visit www.AerArann.com |
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