Aer Lingus Return to LPL

Aer Lingus Regional at LJLA in Nov 2022. ©Lee Fisher.

After weeks of rumours, it has been officially announced today that Aer Lingus will be returning to Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

The airline has been absent from the airport since withdrawing their Dublin service way back in January 2016.

Emerald Airlines, under the guise of Aer Lingus Regional, will begin operations on their new Liverpool to Dublin route from April 27^th 2023.

The route will operate 11 flights per week with a double daily service on a Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and will allow passengers to transfer to onwards US flights from Dublin Airport.

The timetable is as follows and was posted by SeanM1997 on Twitter…

Credit to @SeanM1997 on Twitter.

Aer Lingus Regional will join Ryanair on the route increasing daily departures to 5 per day (on some days) and Head of Communications at Emerald Airlines, Ciaran Smith said: ‘’Todays announcement is a much-anticipated one and will no doubt be warmly welcomed by passengers travelling for both business and travel pleasure purposes. The new Liverpool-Dublin service will provide those planning a trip with more choice and convenient flight times to suit their schedule.

‘’We believe that we can offer the region both great value flights to Dublin but also access to one of the fastest growing transatlantic gateways in Europe.’’

Aer Lingus are the latest airline to launch new routes out of Liverpool, following PLAY Airlines in October 2022 and Lufthansa in May 2022.

Exciting times ahead for Liverpool John Lennon Airport!

A Swift Exit.

Irish Continental Group has today announced further changes to their Irish Sea services.

Following the announcement earlier this month that they’ll be building a new larger cruise ferry for their Holyhead to Dublin service, the owners of Irish Ferries announced it has sold their fast craft, Jonathan Swift.

The fast ferry Jonathan Swift also known as the ‘Dublin Swift’ has been sold to Spanish operator Balearia Eurolineas Maritimas, and will take up service for them later this year.

The fast craft commissioned by Irish Continental Group in 1997, and delivered in 1999 after a 26-day voyage from Australia at a cost of €29 million, has operated on the companies popular Holyhead to Dublin route since.

Jonathan Swift on a crossing from Holyhead-Dublin.

The deal worth €15.5 million – including broker fees and a 10% deposit, will be paid once the vessel has been delivered. Irish Continental Group says it will benefit by €14 million as a result of the deal.

There had been speculation on ferry enthusiast groups for some time, as to whether the ‘Swift’ would be replaced, after Irish Continental Group purchased the larger Austal built ship, ‘Westpac Express’ in 2016.

The high speed craft, which was built in 2001 and sold to the US Marine Corp, is currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment programme at Harland and Wolff in Belfast.

Westpac Express at Harland & Wolff. ©Oisin Roantree

Further changes to Irish Ferries central corridor operations were announced earlier this month, including the building of a new cruise ferry costing €165 million and to be delivered in mid-2020.

The new ship will be able to transport over 1,800 passengers and crew across the Irish Sea, and will become the worlds largest cruise ferry in terms of vehicle carrying capacity – able to carry 1,500 cars or 300 trucks.

It will take on the schedule currently operated by MV Ulysses. And Ulysses will then move to replace the MV Epsilon on her current schedule.

Artist impression of Irish Ferries new build.