Aer Arann to launch flights to France

AER Arann will operate a twice-weekly service from Kerry to Lorient in south Brittany from next March.

The service will offer the opportunity to generate more than €1 million in additional tourism revenue next year, according to chairman of Kerry airport, Denis Cregan.

“The tourism industry in Kerry is being offered a great opportunity by Aer Arann with our first scheduled route to France. Kerry Airport plans to maximise the benefits from inbound French tourists,” he said.

The service begins on March 27 and will operate on Monday and Friday. One-way tickets are priced between €75 and €95.

The flight will depart Lorient at 11.00am and Kerry at 1.10pm.

The airline operates over 62 flights a week to and from Kerry on the Dublin and Manchester routes.

Marketing manager at Aer Arann Micheal O’Callarain said: “We have been exploring various options for additional routes from Kerry for some time now and we believe this new link to Lorient opens up a range of new options for leisure passengers in the region.

“Brittany is the second-biggest French destination for Irish passengers after Paris and Lorient is very well located as a touring base for this area.”

He said there was “considerable untapped demand” for such a service.

Aer Arann has a turnover of over €94m per annum and had passenger numbers of just under one million last year, a 62% increase.