New Galway-Birmingham route for Aer Arann

Aer Arann is to begin a new Galway to Birmingham service from May 3 this year.

This brings to four the number of services it now operates to the UK from the western airport.

Speaking today, Padraig O’Ceidigh, Managing Director, Aer Arann said: “Negotiations with Galway Airport for continued route development have been ongoing, and market analysis coupled with local community demand indicates that Birmingham is an obvious new destination from Galway.”

The regional airline now has 95 flights per week in and out of Galway on four routes including Dublin, London Luton, Edinburgh and Manchester. It carried over 135,000 passengers through Galway during 2003.

Joe Higgins, Chairman, Galway Airport said: “It is now up to local business interests and the travelling public to support this route to ensure the service is retained and grown to additional daily flights.

"I look forward to working with Aer Arann to develop yet another successful service out of Galway."

With a turnover of €60bn, Aer Arann is one of the fastest growing regional airlines in the world and carried 600,000 passengers last year.