Aer Arann 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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Aer Arann is a privately held regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. It operates scheduled and charter services throughout Ireland, the United Kingdom and France. Its main base is Dublin International Airport, with hubs at Cork International Airport and Galway Airport.
Aer Arann, began flying from Galway to the Aran Islands in the 1970's, providing an island-hopping air service from the mainland to each of the three Islands.
In 1994 Padraig O'Ceidigh purchased Aer Arann and set about laying the groundwork for a feeder air service for Ireland and the UK.
Today, Aer Arann is one of the world's fastest growing regional airlines, with a turnover in excess of EUR95 million per annum and passenger numbers of 1.15 million for 2005.
Aer Arann currently operates over 600 flights per week across 35 routes in Ireland, the UK and France. The airline has launched a total of 12 new routes for summer 2006, half of which are UK services including Cork to Cardiff and Newquay, Galway to Liverpool, Dublin to Inverness and the newly announced Cardiff to Dublin and Galway.
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History
Aer Arann began providing flights between Galway and the three Aran Islands in 1970. In 1994 Padraig O'Ceidigh purchased the airline and began to expand its routes and fleet. Just over 625,000 passengers flew Aer Arann flights in 2003, while 1.15 million passengers used the airline in 2005 - making it one of the fastest growing regional airlines in the world.
The airline has greatly expanded its route network in recent years, especially since changing from an island-oriented service to a regional one in 1998, when a service between Donegal and Dublin was first established. Aer Arann also started freight service between Dublin and Coventry that same year, its first flights to the United Kingdom. Passenger flights outside Ireland first started in 2000, when a daily service between Dublin and the Isle of Man was established. June 2004 saw the start of passenger flights to continental Europe with the opening of a Galway-Waterford-Lorient route.
In early December 2004 Aer Arann announced that it had carried 400,000 passengers through Cork Airport since the start of 2004, an increase of 57% on the previous year.
In October 2004, and again in October 2005, Aer Arann received the bronze award in the European Regions Airline Association's Airline of the Year awards.
Aer Arann has approximately 350 employees as of 2005.
Between February and April 2006, Aer Arann announced the launch of over 10 new services, including the first services from Wales:
- Cardiff to Cork, Lorient, Galway and Dublin
- Angers to Cork and Manchester
- Cork to Angers, Cardiff, Jersey and Newquay
- Dublin-Inverness
- Galway-Liverpool
On July 3 2006 it began the following services:
- Luton Airport-Newquay : 4 flights a week, on Monday/Thursday/Friday/Sunday, using an ATR 72.
- Dublin-Shannon: 5 flights a week, Monday through Friday, using an ATR 42.
- On the same date, the airline also increased the frequency on its Dublin-Cardiff route with the addition of a midday ATR42 service operating from Monday through Friday.
Destinations
Aer Arann serves the following destinations:
- British Crown Dependencies
- France
- Republic of Ireland
- United Kingdom
Aer Arann Islands provides the following services (as of July 2006):
- Connemara Regional Airport, Inverin to:
Reliability
Aer Arann is committed to developing a reliable and trustworthy regional air service. Our on-time performance record is integral to achieving this goal.
Fleet
The Aer Arann fleet comprises eleven aircraft; five 50 seater ATR42's and six 66 seater ATR72's. The ATR turboprop aircraft has become renowned in the global air transport industry for reliability and efficiency. It is also a best seller in its class.
The Aer Arann fleet consists of the following aircraft (at August 2006) <ref>Flight International, 3-9 October 2006</ref> :
| Type | Number | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATR42-300 | 5 | Photograph of EI-BYO [1] | |
| ATR 72-200 | 9 | Photograph of EI-REF [2] | |
| ATR 72-500 | 0 (10 on order) |
In March 2006, the average age of the Aer Arann fleet was 14.7 years.
In May 2006, Aer Arann placed an order for 10 new ATR 72-500 aircraft, for delivery over the next three years (two in 2007, five in 2008 and three in 2009). Taking account of aircraft retirements, the airline plans to be operating 20 ATR aircraft by 2009. <ref>ATR 72 order</ref>
The Aer Arann Islands fleet consists of the following aircraft (at January 2005):
| Britten-Norman BN2A Islander | 2 | Photograph of EI-AYN [3] | |
| Britten-Norman BN2B Islander | 1 | Photograph of EI-CUW [4] |
".... safe, reliable, efficient, easy to maintain and comfortable turboprop aircraft, ideal for airlines operating on the regional market." ATR spokesperson
The aircraft provides passengers with a similar cabin environment to that of large jet airliners, combining wide aisles with generous headroom.
These aircraft are specifically designed to provide efficient and comfortable transportation on short-haul routes, making them an ideal fleet for Aer Arann.
Jobs and Recruitment
Prompted by the addition of new aircraft to our fleet, new routes and increases in flight frequency there has been significant recent expansion of the Aer Arann team, with currently 350 employees.
We offer competitive salaries, benefits and ongoing opportunities to existing and potential employees in a friendly, professional and fast paced environment. The future looks bright as we continue to grow and offer customers the best in regional and international air services.
