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| Founded | 1970 (Galway) | |||
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| Operating bases | ||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Silver Club | |||
| Fleet size | 17 (+4 orders) incl.subsidiaries | |||
| Destinations | 25 incl.subsidiaries | |||
| Parent company | Aer Arann | |||
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland | |||
| Key people |
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| Website | aerarann.com | |||
Aer Arann (styled as Aer Arann Regional) is a regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland.[1] Aer Arann operates scheduled services from Ireland and the Isle of Man to destinations in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France, with a fleet of 18 aircraft. Aer Arann has expanded from a single aircraft to Ireland's third largest airline behind Ryanair and Aer Lingus. The airline has three bases under its own brand in Kerry, Waterford, and the Isle of Man, as well as Connemara which operates under the "Aer Arann Islands" brand. It also has bases in Cork, Dublin, and Shannon, but all operate under the Aer Lingus Regional brand.
Aer Arann is owned by Everdeal Ltd, which is 95% owned by Pádraig Ó Céidigh, Aer Arann's Chairman, and 5% owned by the Stobart Group, through 35 preference shares of €1 each acquired on 10 November 2010. Stobart Group has an option to increase its shareholding by a further 27.5% to 32.5%.[2]
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Aer Arann was established in 1970 to provide an island-hopping air service between Galway and the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. Operations, using a single Britten-Norman Islander, began in August 1970. This service has since been moved to the less distant Connemara Airport and operates as "Aer Arann Islands". As of 2010 it still uses Islander aircraft.
The turning point for the airline was in 1994 when Pádraig Ó Céidigh purchased the airline. Ó Céidigh began to expand the airline's routes and fleet, launching scheduled services in 1998. Also in 1998, the Irish government awarded the airline the Public service obligation (PSO) route between Donegal and Dublin followed by the PSO route between Sligo and Dublin.
In 2002, service to the United Kingdom and Jersey was introduced, followed by service to Lorient and Nantes in Brittany in 2004.
In 2007, Aer Arann had a turnover of €100 million and passenger numbers in excess of 1.15 million.
In 2008, in recognition of the company's marketing achievements, the Head of Sales and Marketing, Colin Lewis was awarded the All Ireland Marketing Leader of the Year Award by the Marketing Institute of Ireland.[3]
In 2008, Aer Arann entered into a franchise agreement with Nex Aviation and introduced service to Amsterdam, Bordeaux, Málaga and Faro, using British Aerospace 146 aircraft during the summer months. The Amsterdam service, which was operated by an ATR 72-500, ended on 14 January 2009.
In October 2008, the airline announced that it would be implementing a cost-saving programme, due to the downturn in passenger traffic, which would involve some focus on charter flights and leasing of aircraft and their crews to other airlines.[4] The airline stated that up to 100 redundancies would be needed, but this was later revised to 70 which would represent a 20% reduction of staff.[5] The airline's key routes were to remain unchanged.
In January 2010, Aer Arann and Aer Lingus founded Aer Lingus Regional which effectively removed Aer Arann's hubs at Cork and Dublin under the new airline.
On 26 August 2010 an examiner was appointed to Aer Arann. A full hearing of the company’s application took place on 8 September and in the meantime Aer Arann is in interim examinership and under the protection of the Court. All Aer Arann flights will continue to operate normally including all Aer Lingus Regional flights. It was understood by the high court in Dublin that Aer Arann would return to profitability in 2011.[6][7]
In October 2010, British logistics company Stobart Group was named as the preferred buyer for the airline, also announcing that the airline would serve London Southend Airport from March 2011 to destinations in Ireland and possibly France and open a base there.[8][9]
On 10 November 2010, the deal was completed. Aer Arann is now owned by Everdeal Ltd, which is 95% owned by Pádraig Ó Céidigh, Aer Arann's Chairman, and 5% owned by the Stobart Group, through 35 preference shares of €1 each. Stobart Group has an option to increase its shareholding by a further 27.5% to 32.5%.[10]
In October 2011, Aer Arann announced it would suspend all services from Galway Airport.[11]
In February 2010 Aer Lingus announced that the carrier was entering into a joint venture with Aer Arann to start a new subsidiary airline, Aer Lingus Regional, which would be operated by Aer Arann with a portion of the profits going to Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus took no equity stake in Aer Arann but the deal involved Aer Lingus bulk-buying seats on Aer Arann services. The move allowed Aer Lingus to expand its operations without the need for additional aircraft plus serve airports that cannot handle the Aer Lingus fleet. The agreement covers all former Aer Arann flights from Cork as well as new and existing Aer Lingus flights from Dublin including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Doncaster. Inaugural services began on 28 March 2010.[12]
The Aer Arann fleet consists of the following aircraft (at August 2011):[13]
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-300 | 4 | 0 | 48/50 | |
| ATR 72-201/212 | 5 | 0 | 66/70 | 3 operated for Aer Lingus Regional |
| ATR 72-500 | 4 | 0 | 72 | 4 operated for Aer Lingus Regional |
| Britten-Norman Islander | 3 | 0 | 9 | Operate for sister company Aer Arann Islands |
| Dornier 328 | 1 | 0 | 33 | Leased from ScotAirways |
| Total | 17 | 0 |
The Aer Arann fleet, excluding leased aircraft, has an average fleet age of 15.5 years (at August 2011):[14]
Aer Arann operated the following aircraft types (in alphabetical order):
Silver Club is the travel rewards program of Aer Arann. Unlike traditional Frequent-flyer programes, there are no points or kilometres to earn, and is an invitation-only programme. Benefits of Silver Club include airport lounge access in Dublin, no change fees, an increase in baggage allowance to 25 kilograms (55 lb), preferred seat selection and a dedicated free-phone number.[19]
Aer Arann has a buy on board programme offering sandwiches, crisps, confectionery as well as alcoholic, non-alcoholic and hot drinks for purchase.They also do a Duty free Buy on Board service.[20]
Aer Arann was the main shirt sponsor of the Galway Gaelic Football team,[21] and has their logo on the back of the Connacht Rugby team shirts, as well as sponsoring the Munster Rugby team.
On 17 December 2010, Aer Arann announced that it would be ending its sponsorship of the Galway Gaelic Football team.[22]
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