£100m investment by Irish carrier
Aer Lingus is to set up a base at London Gatwick Airport next April serving eight destinations.
The Irish carrier, which is facing a hostile takeover from rival Ryanair, said it hoped to operate eight A320s running 122 flights a week within 12 months.
Dermot Mannion, the airline's ceo said at a London press conference today (December 19) the base, planned over several months, would cost £100m to set up.
It would create 120 new jobs in the airline as well as "thousands" of spin off jobs in the Gatwick area.
Mr Mannion said the eight destinations are Dublin, which is already operating, Knock, Faro, Malaga, Nice, Zurich, Munich and Vienna.
Four A320s would initially be used at Gatwick but he said he expected "rapid expansion" to eight aircraft within a 12 months.
Three flights a day to Malaga and a daily service to Knock will start on April 6.
Daily flights to Zurich and Vienna and twice daily services to Munich, Nice and Faro will start on April 20.
Mr Mannion said more destinations would be added when appropriate.
Fares will start at £19.99 one way, including taxes and charges.
Mr Mannion said Gatwick was Aer Lingus's first base outside the island of Ireland - it set up a base at Belfast last year - and it was looking for other possible bases in Europe.
"London Gatwick is a unique and significant opportunity for Aer Lingus. It's an important foothold in the biggest aviation market in the world," Mr Mannion said.
"We agree with Ryanair that the Aer Lingus brand is capable of resonating across Europe. The only difference is that we can manage it better than they can.
"We are entering one of the most competitive low cost markets in Europe and we are confident that the Aer Lingus model will see us through.
"We have the ability which many legacy carriers do no have, to compete head to head with the other low cost carriers."
While three of the destinations, Nice, Faro and Malaga are aimed at the leisure market, others, like Vienna, Munich and Zurich are targeting the business market.
Mr Enda Corneille, director of corporate affairs, said the last three aimed to attract inbound travellers to the UK as well as outbound ones.
Mr Mannion said Aer Lingus had acquired the necessary slots at Gatwick from the slot co-ordinator and other carriers but he said his airline had not paid "cash" for them.
He said the airline would either buy or lease the A320s for its Gatwick operation.
Mr Mannion declined to comment on the Ryanair bid as takeover laws in Ireland prevented comment.
But he said Aer Lingus would publish its defence document "in a matter of days."
www.aerlingus.com www.gatwickairport.com