There's good news for Ireland's embattled aviation industry as the country's newest regional airline — Emerald Airlines — fastens its metaphorical seatbelt for take off. 

The Dublin-based start-up has been granted the exclusive franchise for the Aer Lingus Regional route network from 1 January 2023 until the end of 2032. While the contract won't begin for another 15 months, Emerald Airlines is eager to get started, working closely with Aer Lingus to see if an earlier start date is on the cards.

The founder and CEO of Emerald Airlines is Conor McCarthy, an entrepreneur with a long and fruitful relationship with Aer Lingus. He began his career in aviation as a 16-year-old apprentice with the State-owned carrier, rising through the ranks to become chief executive of Aer Lingus commuter, then introducing the Airbus A330 series of craft to the airline in 1994.

McCarthy went on to work for Ryanair before setting up his own consultancy and later established Dublin Aerospace, an aircraft maintenance business with bases at Dublin Airport, Ashbourne and Exeter.

Speaking to ALHAUS magazine, the Emerald Airlines CEO said that "being granted the first Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in Ireland since the pandemic is not only a major milestone in our journey as an airline, but a significant one for the Irish Aviation industry as it begins its recovery following the worst crisis in its history.

"We are now able to progress towards the launch of scheduled services, which will be rolled out progressively as our aircraft are delivered and market conditions allow. We will be working very closely with Aer Lingus on this now that we have our AOC in place.”

Securing an AOC is a big milestone for the new regional airline; it serves as acknowledgement of Emerald Airlines’ professional capabilities, its adherence to the highest standard of safety regulations and its fitness-to-fly capability. The start-up has already signed up for the first of 15 specialist short-haul aircraft, which will operate from Dublin, Belfast, Shannon and Cork.

It's a changed world for the global aviation industry and Emerald Airlines will begin operating in a vastly different landscape to its predecessors. Enhanced health and safety measures will need to be a focus from day one, as their audience in the UK and Ireland prepares to resume air travel. The Emerald Airlines management team has extensive worldwide aviation experience and say they are fully committed to providing a high-quality and customer-focused service.

Aviation regulator of Ireland Diarmuid Ó Conghaile said that after an exceptionally difficult period for aviation, it was significant that a new Irish airline had been established.

“The emergence of Emerald as a new Irish airline is a big lift for Irish aviation and the Irish travel industry as we push to rebound from the catastrophic sectoral impact of the pandemic. We at the IAA are delighted to have another airline on the Irish register. This development demonstrates the flexibility and the potential of the industry here.”

Emeraldairlines.com