Aer Arann
 |
|
| Fate | Defunct - Purchased by Stobart Group consortium and re-branded |
|---|---|
| Successor | Stobart Air |
| Founded | 1970 (Galway) |
| Defunct | 19 March 2014 |
|
Key people
|
|
| Parent | Everdeal Holdings Limited |
| Website | www.aerarann.com |
Aer Arann (styled as Aer Arann Regional) was a regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. The airline operated scheduled services on behalf of Aer Lingus Regional. The airline had three bases in Cork, Dublin and Shannon which operated under the Aer Lingus Regional brand.
On 19 March 2014, Aer Arann announced that it would be changing its corporate name to Stobart Air by the end of 2014.
Aer Arann was established in 1970 by James Coen and Ralph Langan 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 2015 it still used Islander aircraft.
The turning point for the airline was in 1994 when Pádraig Ó Céidigh and Eugene O'Kelly purchased the airline. Ó Céidigh and O'Kelly 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.
...
Wikipedia