Aer Lingus has signed an agreement that will see Cityjet operate its London City to Dublin route under the Irish carrier’s brand.
Cityjet previously operated the route under its own name, but it will instead provide Aer Lingus with a wet lease from 28 October, providing up to six daily return flights between the hubs on weekdays and a reduced service on weekends.
The addition of Cityjet’s flights brings Aer Lingus’s total services between London and Dublin to up to 50 per day.
Cityjet will provide Aer Lingus with aircraft (namely two Avro RJ85s), crew, maintenance and insurance. The aircraft will feature the Irish carrier’s livery and will be configured in a single cabin layout.
Tickets for the former Cityjet route should now be purchased via the Aer Lingus website.
Stephen Kavanagh, CEO of Aer Lingus, commented: “We are delighted to be entering into this agreement with Cityjet. Aer Lingus is on an ambitious flight path and working with Pat [Byrne] and his team will allow us to add to our extensive services to London Heathrow and London Gatwick. The Dublin to London City route will facilitate further business flows between Dublin and London and the service will provide those wishing to travel seamlessly from the heart of London City to North America with a very attractive connecting proposition, including US customs and immigration pre-clearance.”
Pat Byrne, CEO of Cityjet, added: “In recent years we have transitioned Cityjet from being an airline serving scheduled markets under its own brand into becoming a provider of capacity to customer airlines throughout Europe.
“Cityjet was one of the first airlines to launch services to London City airport in 1994, having recognised the convenience and strategic importance of the airport located on the doorstep of London’s financial district. We would like to sincerely thank our loyal customer base who have flown with us over the years and we look forward to continuing to deliver great service to them and Aer Lingus on the route between Dublin and London City.”
aerlingus.com; cityjet.com