Aer Lingus Regional plans Southend expansion
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
Aer Lingus Regional flew its new ATR aircraft from Dublin to London Southend Airport this week after with hopes to boost the service in the coming months.
The service, operated by Aer Arann, is due to fly a record 5,600 people this month, a year after it was launched. Throughout those 12 months more than 55,000 people have flown on the route.
Now operating three times a week, Aer Lingus Regional has adjusted the flights to offer a day trip return service for business travellers. The airline is also keen to add a fourth daily service from the Essex airport, while also expanding its fleet from other UK airports.
“We have heavily invested in our fleet with a close to EUR150 million investment. We will take on an aircraft a month during the next 10 months which will be deployed across the UK,” said Simon Fagan, chief commercial officer at Aer Arann. “Our relationship with Aer Lingus Regional is in place until 2022 at least and we will continue to operate under that.”
Alastair Welch, managing director at London Southend Airport told Travel Daily Media the connections through to US destinations have proved a hit.
“Aer Lingus Regional hopes to add the fourth daily flight to increase the connectivity into New York, Chicago and Boston. This has been popular with our travellers,” he said.
In addition the airport is seeing increased flights from easyJet this summer and Thomson will fly its first service from Southend to Palma. Welch is confident more Thomson destinations will be added for next year. In the meantime the airport is gearing up to open its new arrivals area in June and will be expanding the airport during the year to eventually accommodate more airlines and passengers.