7 December 2015
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Stobart Air, operator of Aer Lingus Regional, has announced a new route from Cork Airport to Leeds Bradford Airport.
Flights go on sale on tomorrow, and the service will begin on 15 March 2016. Aer Lingus Regional will fly up to three times weekly on the route uoperating and ATR72 aircraft flying on a Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
Where is Leeds Bradford Airport?
Leeds, the UK’s 3rd largest city is known for its nightlife, shopping and sport. Leeds also boasts fantastic Georgian and Victorian architecture and the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors are all in easy reach of the city. York with its wide range of historic and cultural attractions is only 40 minutes drive.
Martin Saxton, Chief Commercial Officer of Stobart Air, said::
“Together with both Leeds Bradford and Cork airports we look forward to working together to successfully launch and and grow this important new route.“
Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport welcomed the new routes: “2015 has been a fantastic year so far for the airport in terms of new routes and new airlines. Today’s news is further evidence that Cork Airport is now well on track to return to annualised growth next year and brings to six the number of new routes announced in recent months for the region. The announcement brings the total number of destinations served to the UK to 14 and the new routes to the South East Coast and North Midlands means we have the UK covered in terms of easy and affordable access.”
Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, is expected to carry 275,000 passengers through Cork Airport in 2015. Today’s news means that the airline will increase this by 22 per cent next year to 335,000 passengers.
MacCarthy added: “I would like to acknowledge the ongoing work that goes into establishing new routes both from the team here at Cork Airport but also the commitment shown by our airline customers such as Aer Lingus Regional. Creating opportunities like these takes time but it’s important that the people in the region now support the new routes to make them a commercial success. This is the only way we will be able to continue to offer the best connectivity from any airport outside of Dublin.”
Cork Chamber strongly welcomes today’s announcement by Aer Lingus Regional of two new routes to Southampton and Leeds from Cork Airport. Commenting on the announcement, Conor Healy, Cork Chamber CEO said “This announcement is yet another positive indicator of Cork airport’s strong performance, which comes on foot of a string of encouraging developments for Cork Airport in recent months.
“We are delighted to see Aer Lingus Regional’s continued commitment to serving the Cork Region, with the addition of these new routes greatly benefiting business and tourism links with the UK, our nearest economic partner,” concluded Mr. Healy.
Captain Michael McCarthy, Commercial Manager at the Port of Cork also welcomed the new route and believes it will offer flexibility and choice to passengers looking to connect with cruises: “The announcement of a new service linking Cork to Southampton will connect the south of Ireland direct to the main cruise hub of the UK. This will offer the thousands of Irish ‘cruisers’ a direct link.”
Apart from the obvious football connections, both cities have plenty to offer visitors. Situated on the South East coast of England, Southampton is a popular summer destination with plenty to see and do including the annual Southampton Boat Show, Sea-City Museum, Southampton Common as well as the chance to Walk the Walls of the city taking in the famous Bargate.
