DUBLIN, June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Aer Lingus Regional's first flight from Ireland West Airport Knock to Birmingham has taken to the skies, giving a boost to the west of Ireland's business and tourism industries.

Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann, now flies once daily from Ireland West Airport Knock to Birmingham, offering both business and leisure travellers direct, convenient and cost effective access to Great Britain's second largest city.

Commenting on the launch of the service, Aer Arann's Interim Chief Executive Sean Brogan said: "We are delighted to commence our Aer Lingus Regional Ireland West Airport Knock to Birmingham service. We recognise the vital importance of regional air connectivity and the key role that this air link to Birmingham provides for business, tourism and leisure travel. We look forward to working with our partners in Ireland West Airport Knock to ensure that this route continues to be a success."

Welcoming the launch of the service, Aer Lingus Director of Communications Declan Kearney said: "Aer Lingus is delighted to add the Ireland West Airport Knock to Birmingham route to its network. We look forward to welcoming more and more customers on board this service from today and into the future."

Speaking on behalf of Ireland West Airport Knock, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director said: "We are delighted to welcome Aer Lingus Regional's first flight to the Airport from Birmingham. Our Birmingham service has long been one of our most established routes from the airport and I am sure the uninterrupted continuation of the service will come as welcome news to the thousands of UK visitors who use this service regularly as well as the Irish people travelling to the Birmingham region for business and leisure purposes. We wish Aer Lingus Regional every success with the new service' and look forward to working with them to grow the service."

Aer Lingus Regional flights from Ireland West Airport Knock to Birmingham are available for booking on http://www.aerlingus.com, where travellers can also find out about cheap flights and flight deals.

About Aer Lingus:

Aer Lingus was founded by the Irish Government in April 1936 to provide air services to/from Ireland. The first flight, from Dublin to Bristol, took place on May 27th 1936.

Aer Lingus' low-cost, low fares model is centred on maintaining low unit cost, offering one way fares, maintaining effective fleet utilisation and developing the Aer Lingus brand. Consistent with this low-cost model, Aer Lingus' primary distribution channel is its website aerlingus.com where customers can find a number of UK flight offers from Ireland, as well as take advantage of the Aer Lingus check in app and purchase travel vouchers.

Aer Lingus provides a cargo transportation service on some of its scheduled passenger routes, including flights to the USA and Europe. Aer Lingus provides mail transportation services between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

PR Contact:
Declan Kearney
Aer Lingus Corporate Communications
Aer Lingus Head Office
Dublin Airport
Co. Dublin
Ireland
PA 06-39
+353-86-6172702
http://www.aerlingus.com

SOURCE Aer Lingus