Emerald Airlines, Ireland's newest regional carrier, launched on Saturday, almost a year ahead of schedule. The inaugural flight, covering the Public Service Obligation (PSO) route from Dublin to Donegal, took off on Saturday and will see two daily flights between the airports.The airline will be taking over from the previous Aer Lingus Regional operator, Stobart Air, which ceased operations on 12 June 2021. Emerald Airlines 11 routes commencing over the coming weeks,

Vital connectivity across Ireland

Emerald Airlines' launch was accelerated to restore the PSO route, most recently managed by Swedish carrier Amapola Flyg AB, whose contract ran out 25 February.

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The inaugural flight between Dublin and Donegal has been celebrated by Minister of State, Hildegarde Naughton, for providing vital connectivity within Ireland. Photo: Emerald Airlines

The occasion was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by founder and CEO, Conor McCarthy; Chairman, Steve Ó Cúláin; Managing Director of Donegal Airport, Eilís Docherty; and Minister of State for the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton.

Speaking about the launch, Naughton said:

"I would like to wish Emerald Airline's every success in operating and growing this route and providing the people and businesses in the North-West with daily air services to Dublin to attend medical and other important appointments as well as supporting the economy and tourism in the region."

Who are Emerald Airlines?

The airline is an unsurprising new venture for McCarthy, who boasts an experienced aviation portfolio, including CEO of Aer Lingus Commuter, Executive Chairman of Dublin Aerospace, and Non-Executive Chairman of Stobart Air.

Emerald Airlines have been bidding for the contract to operate the Aer Lingus Regional franchise since November 2020. Following the liquidation of Stobart Air back in June, the airline was awarded the 10-year franchise agreement. After securing their Air Operator Certificate in September, the airline was able to launch almost a year ahead of expected.

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Emerald Airlines has taken over Aer Lingus' regional routes previously operated by Stobart Air. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

Utilizing a fleet of efficient ATR-72-600s, Emerald Airlines is launching a range of flights from its hub at Dublin Airport, set to start next month. The routes, shown below, are currently available for booking:

  • Isle of Man: 16 March, six-weekly
  • Glasgow: 17 March, 28-weekly
  • Birmingham: from 26 March, 15-weekly
  • Bristol: 27 March, 18-weekly
  • Edinburgh: 27 March, 28-weekly
  • Manchester: 27 March, 20-weekly
  • Leeds Bradford: 15 April, 13-weekly
  • Newquay: 29 April, four-weekly
  • Jersey: 28 May, once-weekly

The airline will have no direct competition on its routes to Exeter, Isle of Man, or Newquay. It will compete with Blue Islands to Jersey and Ryanair on seven other routes.

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Future expansion

Emerald Airlines have already announced a second hub at Belfast Airport, expecting to operate high-frequency routes to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, and Manchester. Further details will be released throughout 2022.

The collaboration between Aer Lingus and Emerald Airlines comes as part of the former's goal to restore pre-pandemic levels of flying. The regional routes will feed into Aer Lingus' transatlantic flights, increasing connectivity across the Atlantic.

What routes would you like to see added to Emerald Airlines' schedule? Let us know by leaving a comment.