Aer Lingus Regional will boost flights from Cork with a new year-round route to Glasgow and extra services to Bristol.
Operated by Emerald Airlines, Aer Lingus Regional flies mostly between Ireland and Britain, providing links between local airports and tying into the main carrier’s network.
Cork Airport confirmed on Tuesday that Aer Lingus Regional will begin flying four times a week from there to Glasgow from October 27th in what will be a new year-round service.
It also plans to boost the six times a-week Cork-Bristol service to nine times a week, putting an extra 20,000 seats on the route on sale.
Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest city, with a population of around 1.8 million in its hinterland. It has strong connections with this country and is a popular city break destination for Irish people.
Aer Lingus Regional began flying Cork-Bristol in response to calls from local groups. Emerald noted on Tuesday that it was responding to growing demand by launching extra flights on the route.
Niall MacCarthy, managing director, Cork Airport, said the regional airline would now be flying to two UK cities along with the eight destinations served by the mainline carrier.
“We are growing strongly, both inbound and outbound, from Cork Airport and more routes and greater connectivity are always welcome,” he added.
Tara Finn, head of aviation business development and communications at Cork Airport, predicted that the gateway would serve more than three million passengers this year.
“We are very ambitious to continue to expand the range of destinations and airlines flying from Cork,” said Ms Finn.
Ian Lough, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines, said the company was “delighted” to introduce the Glasgow service and “equally pleased” to boost the Bristol services.
Cork Airport is the second biggest in the Republic. Owner, State company DAA, hopes to boost passenger numbers there to around five million a-year.
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