Major boost for the west as Knock to Edinburgh service is announced

Pictured at the announcement of new services to Edinburgh with flybe.com were Trina Donohue, HR manager, Ireland West Airport Knock, and Joe Gilmore, managing director, Ireland West Airport Knock.

Leading European regional airline Flybe has announced a new expansion from Ireland West Airport Knock by introducing a three-times-a-week service to Edinburgh. The new route will commence on April 19 and represents a major milestone in the airport’s history as it adds a new airline brand and Scottish destination to the airport’s network.

Flybe is Europe’s largest regional airline and also the UK’s number one domestic carrier. It operates some 215 routes from a total of 73 departure points and in July announced a major codeshare with Air France offering Flybe passengers connectivity to Air France’s worldwide destinations. The addition of the Flybe brand is a major coup for the airport and the region as Ireland West Airport Knock is the only regional airport in the Republic of Ireland from which Flybe currently flies.

The new route is a significant boost to flight access from the west of Ireland as the airport is now connected to a key city in Scotland and this complements the significant access already available to major regions in the UK including Birmingham, Bristol, East-Midlands, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Stansted, Gatwick, and Luton), and Manchester.

Edinburgh is the second largest city in Scotland and attracts one million overseas visitors a year, making it the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London. The city is famous for the annual Edinburgh Fringe festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world, and of course is home to Murrayfield Stadium which will be familiar to the thousands of Irish who travel over regularly for international and Heineken Cup rugby matches.

“We are delighted to welcome Europe’s largest regional airline, Flybe, to Ireland West Airport Knock and thank them for showing confidence in our airport and region by introducing a new service between to Edinburgh,” said Joe Gilmore, managing director of Ireland West Airport Knock. “This is an important day in the airport’s history, adding such a strong airline brand as Flybe who become our fifth scheduled airline partner and Edinburgh our 10th UK destination. The new service to Edinburgh will come as welcome news to all those visiting friends and family in Scotland, which has strong traditional links with the west and northwest of Ireland as well as the thousands who follow Glasgow Celtic Football Club which is less than an hour’s train journey from Edinburgh. This new service will also have a positive impact on the region as a whole as we expect to welcome thousands of Scottish visitors on the new service as well as providing the opportunity to develop business links between the region and Scotland. We hope this is the beginning of a great partnership with Flybe.”

Chief commercial officer for Flybe, Mike Rutter, added: “With this brand new route we’re not only giving travellers from Edinburgh the opportunity of booking low cost direct travel to one of Ireland’s most popular holiday and pilgrimage destinations but also offering convenient and direct access to and from the rest of Scotland from the west of Ireland, a win-win for both economies. Despite the economic challenges of the past 12 months, Flybe has continued to expand its route network and we remain committed to expanding our route network and to providing the widest range of convenient and affordable regional services for our passengers.”

Starting April 19, flights from Ireland West Airport Knock to Edinburgh Airport will depart on Tuesday and Thursday at 12.40pm and Sunday at 3.45pm. Flybe tickets to and from Edinburgh are on sale from €36 one way on www.flybe.com Fares inclusive of taxes and charges, excluding Ireland West Airport Knock’s €10 development fee charged on departure to adults and children aged 12 years and older.

For further airport information visit www.irelandwestairport.com; for information on fares and to book flights log onto www.flybe.com