Aer Lingus confirms Gatwick base

 

 

Aer Lingus has confirmed plans to establish an international base at Gatwick for European flights.

 

Four aircraft will be based at the London airport in the first move of its kind away from Ireland and Northern Ireland.

 

Seven destinations - Malaga, Munich, Nice, Vienna, Knock, Faro and Zurich - have been earmarked for services from spring 2009.

 

Fares will start at £19.99 one way including taxes.

 

The airline, fending off a €748 million hostile takeover bid by Ryanair, already runs a Dublin-Gatwick service but the expansion will pitch it against UK budget rival Easyjet, one of the biggest carriers at the airport.

 

Aer Lingus plans to expand its Gatwick presence to eight aircraft with a potential for 2.5 million  passengers a year within 12 months.

 

More than 120 new jobs will be created in the first year as the carrier locates four Airbus A320s at Gatwick.

 

Long haul services from Gatwick are also being mooted in the longer term, according to reports. 

 

The airline's chief executive Dermot Mannion said: "The Gatwick operation will complement our existing services out of London Heathrow and position Aer Lingus for growth as we roll out new routes and bases in future years."

 

Gatwick's commercial director Mike Luddy said: "We know Aer Lingus evaluated a range of airports across Europe for their first base outsdie Ireland and we are delighted they chose Gatwick as their London base.

 

"In this challenging period for the aviation industry, this is proof of Gatwick's position as an ideal airport for profitable airline growth."

 

by Phil Davies