Dublin-based Emerald Airlines has celebrated, this Monday, its millionth passenger. The feat was marked on flight EI3304 between Dublin and Southampton, and the Brady family, chosen to mark the occasion, were awarded four roundtrip tickets to use in the regional carrier’s network.
Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, Emerald Airlines operates flights under the “Aer Lingus Regional” franchise, using Aer Lingus’ brand and sales channels. In turn, Aer Lingus benefits from the feed from smaller cities to its network — particularly to its Transatlantic flights. Its first flight, on February 26, 2022, connected Donegal to Dublin.
In a press release the airline’s Executive Chairman, Conor McCarthy, said “today is a tremendous milestone for us at Emerald Airlines. Having only operated our very first flight less than 12 months ago, to have just welcomed our one millionth passenger in such a short time frame is a really great achievement by the whole team here at Emerald.”
McCarthy also wished the Brady family “a really enjoyable trip and we look forward to welcoming them on board many times more in the future!”.
For Summer 2023, as announced last October, Emerald Airlines plans to serve 25 routes with more than 580 flights a week from its two bases — ten from Belfast/City and 15 from Dublin.
While only two new routes will be running, compared to the previous Summer — connecting Belfast to Jersey and Newquay — the majority of the airline’s growth will be seen through increased frequencies. Overall, the airline says over 1.5 million seats are on sale for the season.
Boosting frequencies is of particular importance for Emerald Airlines’ business model as, beyond the feed it provides to Aer Lingus, the airline has a focus on the corporate traffic between the British Isles, for which variety of schedule is paramount.
