Aer Arann Regional is to suspend its services at Galway Airport for the winter season with effect from 1st November. The airline will operate a normal schedule up to and including Bank Holiday Monday, 31st October. The suspended routes will be the flights to London Southend, London Luton, Manchester, Edinburgh and Waterford. Passengers with confirmed booking for flights after these dates will be contacted directly by Aer Arann.
Booked passengers on all routes will be offered a full refund, but passengers on the Manchester and Edinburgh routes will have a rebooking option, instead of a refund, on Aer Lingus Regional flights operated by Aer Arann from other airports.
- Passengers booked on flights between Galway and Manchester will have the option to travel instead via Shannon
- Passengers booked on flights between Galway and Edinburgh will have the option to travel instead via Shannon or Dublin
Aer Arann Regional and Galway Airport have been working closely together to explore all commercial options in an environment where passenger numbers and revenue have continued to decline. However, despite the best endeavours of both airline and airport, bookings have continued to deteriorate and all routes are projected to be loss-making during the thinner winter season when bookings are historically lower.
“We sincerely regret having to make this decision and we particularly regret the impact that this will have on our customers, on our staff in Aer Arann Regional and on the staff of Galway Airport,” said Paul Schütz, Aer Arann’s Chief Executive. “The reality, however, is that we are not yet a year out of examinership and we are not in a position to continue to operate routes that are not commercially viable.”
Aer Arann Regional has 35 flight deck and cabin crew based in Galway and all will be offered the opportunity to move to other Aer Arann bases in Shannon, Cork, Dublin and Waterford.
A small number of redundancies may arise, should some crew members not be in a position to relocate, but it is Aer Arann’s priority to limit the number of redundancies where possible, including the potential for staff to take unpaid leave through the winter.
The Aer Arann hangar facility and engineering staff at Galway Airport are not impacted on by the decision to suspend services.
“My first concern is for our customers and our staff and we will be doing everything we can for them in the days and weeks ahead,” said Paul Schütz. “Our staff have provided an excellent service to Galway and the West for many years and they have helped to build our reputation as a professional, safe and caring airline. Likewise, our customers deserve our thanks for their custom and remaining loyalty to us and to Galway Airport and we sincerely hope that we will be in a position to serve them again in the near future,” he added.
“Today’s announcement is necessary due to a number of factors that are outside the control of the airline,” he said. “A number of issues have combined to bring about this decision but the biggest driver is the economy, which has led to fewer people travelling and a significant reduction in fare revenues that is being experienced by regional airlines all over Europe.
“The emphasis now must be on sustainable services and by suspending loss-making services for the winter season both Galway Airport and Aer Arann Regional are doing what is best for both businesses at this time and we can work together on the potential for a resumption of services in 2012.”
In the months ahead Aer Arann intends to work with Galway Airport with the intention that a strategy be put in place for the re-launch of services from Galway at the beginning of the summer season in April 2012. Aer Arann has committed to working in conjunction with Galway Airport to examine the potential for a number of routes from Galway to the UK and France.
