Newest low cost airline takes off

A NEW low fares airline backed by former Ryanair executive PJ McGoldrick took to the skies yesterday.

EUjet made its first flight out of Dublin to Kent International Airport in Britain.

The flight was the first of a number of routes to be operated by the airline, many of which will be out of Shannon Airport.

EUjet also began services from Kent to Amsterdam, Girona, Nice and Copenhagen.

Mr McGoldrick, who is chief executive of the airline, said he was pleased with the demand for seats on its aircraft so far and interest had surpassed the company’s expectations.

“I am very pleased that an Irish company can make an impact on the international aviation market and we are confident that we will continue to develop the business in future,” he said.

Services out of Shannon will begin later this month and Mr McGoldrick said they would give consumers in the region access to a range of business and leisure destinations at low and competitively-priced fares.

“The existing schedule on the Dublin-Shannon route has meant that it has been impossible for people to fly to Dublin, or from Dublin to Shannon, spend a productive day there, and return again by air the same day.

“The launch of the new service should be good for business and good for the local economy in this region,” he said.

The airline employs around 130 people and this number is forecast to rise to 240 by the end of the year, with half of them expected to be based at Shannon.

Mr McGoldrick is the largest shareholder in the airline.

Earlier this year the owners of Kent International Airport, Planestation, bought a 30% stake for nearly €3 million.

This values the airline at around €9.6m.

The company will be hoping for a better future than some of the more recent Irish start-up airlines. Both JetMagic and FlyJetGreen collapsed within weeks of beginning services because they struggled to sell seats.