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Aer Lingus Group plc

ISE: EIL1        LSE: AERL

Aer Lingus signs Franchise Agreement with Aer Arann

26 January 2010: Aer Lingus and Aer Arann have today announced that agreement has been reached to establish a franchise arrangement between the two airlines.

Under this franchise agreement Aer Arann will operate 12 routes from Dublin and Cork. The routes will include current Aer Lingus and Aer Arann routes as well as 3 new routes. 

These franchise services will be branded as "Aer Lingus Regional" and operated using Aer Arann ATR 72-500 aircraft and crew. All franchise flights will be sold and distributed through www.aerlingus.com. Aer Arann will assume full operational and commercial responsibility for the services covered by the franchise agreement with Aer Lingus receiving a franchise fee in recognition for providing its brand and product suite to Aer Arann.

The new agreement significantly increases Aer Lingus presence in the Ireland-UK market with new services to Ireland from Bristol, Blackpool, Cardiff, Doncaster/Sheffield, Durham, Glasgow and Edinburgh in addition to new seasonal services from Cork to Jersey in the Channel Islands and La Rochelle in France.

Welcoming the new agreement Aer Lingus Chief Executive Mr. Christoph Mueller said 

"This franchise agreement is good news for all stakeholders in Aer Lingus as it will allow us to serve key regional destinations, linking them with our Dublin transatlantic network as well as offering our business and leisure customers improved schedule and frequency options."

Aer Arann Chief Executive Mr. Paul Schütz also welcomed the agreement calling it an "a major development for Irish aviation and the tourism industry. The combined strengths of both airlines, including brand power and market presence, will allow us to offer a quality customer product that meets the capacity requirements of existing and new routes."

 

Detailed routes and frequencies are set out on the following page.

Press Enquiries:

Enda Corneille                                                  Shelia Gahan/ Brian Bell

Aer Lingus                                                        Wilson Hartnell Public Relations

Tel:      +353 1 886 2000                                    Tel:    +353 1 669 0030

                                                                                 +353 87 234 2409 (SG)

Andrew Kelly

Aer Arann                                                                   +353 87 243 6130 (BB)    

Tel:    +353 1 844 7733                                      Email:    sheila.gahan@ogilvy.com

             brian.bell@ogilvy.com

International

Victoria Palmer-Moore/Matthew Fletcher

Powerscourt

Tel:        +44 207 250 1446

Email:    victoria.palmermoore@powerscourtmedia.com

             Matthew.fletcher@powerscourtmedia.com

The following routes and frequencies will be covered by this franchise agreement.

• The Dublin-Glasgow route will increase to up to four roundtrips per day  

• The Dublin-Edinburgh route will see an Aer Lingus daily service supplemented by two Aer Arann round-trip services, one in the morning and one in the evening.

• Dublin to Cardiff - 3 Daily roundtrips

• Dublin to Blackpool - Daily service

• Dublin to Doncaster/Sheffield - Daily service

• Dublin to Durham Tees Valley - 6 roundtrips per week.

• A new service will be launched from Cork to Glasgow with six roundtrip services per week (excluding Tuesdays).

• Cork to Bristol - 6 roundtrips per week

• Cork to Edinburgh - 11 roundtrips per week

• Cork to Cardiff - Daily service

• Cork to La Rochelle - 2 weekly

• Cork Jersey - 2 weekly

Passengers who hold existing bookings on any of the services covered by this agreement will have their bookings amended and new travel documents will be issued without charge. Aer Arann will proactively contact each passenger with information on changes to their flight bookings.

ENDS

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