The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has granted Emerald Airlines its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and officially becomes Ireland’s newest airline. So what do we know about Ireland’s newest regional carrier which was assigned the callsign GEMSTONE and EAI as its three-letter ICAO designator? But also more importantly what are the airline’s plans, as it enters into the Irish and U.K. market that has resulted in the collapse of two regional airlines?
Over the course of a year and a half, Emerald Airlines has been actively preparing its entry into the regional aviation market. The airline was founded in 2020 and has spent the majority of this time hiring staff, securing aircraft and developing potential routes.
Despite being founded during one of the worst years for the aviation industry, the regional carrier has had a bit of luck, while also making a number of strategic developments along the way. Following the collapse of Europe’s largest regional airline, FlyBe in March 2020, there were really only two major regional airlines operating between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
At the time, Loganair was mainly operating flights from Scotland to a number of destinations across the U.K. and Europe, while Stobart Air was operating services to regional airports across the U.K. and Ireland. Initially, Emerald Airlines was viewed as a start-up airline that could potentially go on to replace FlyBe, but the Irish airline was also seen as a competitor for Stobart Air in terms of routes and fares.
Stobart Air collapse
 100vw, 810px” data-recalc-dims=”1″><figcaption><em>Stobart Air ATR72-600 registered EI-FAS operating under the Aer Lingus Regional brand. Photo by Aer Lingus.</em></figcaption></figure>
<p>Emerald Airlines first began to compete with Stobart Air when it submitted a bid for the Aer Lingus Regional contract which was due to expire in December 2022. Stobart Air had been a major franchise partner with Aer Lingus since 2010 and used to operate Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes across Ireland. Despite not having a single aircraft at the time, Emerald Airlines would ultimately emerge as the preferred bidder.</p>
<p>In the months leading up to the collapse of Stobart Air, Esken Limited, formally known as the Stobart Air Group, tried to <a rel=)
sell a majority stake in Stobart Air to Ettyl Limited, an Isle of Man-based group. At the time of the sale announcement, Esken Limited cited the extended lockdowns in the U.K. and Ireland for halting most of its flight operations.
The Dublin-based airline also cited the decision by Aer Lingus to award the Aer Lingus Regional franchise to another party as another reason for its decision to sell a majority shareholding position in Stobart Air to Ettyl Limited. Two months later, this particular purchase agreement collapsed and resulted in Stobart Air ceasing all commercial flight operations and entering liquidation.
Flight Operations:
 100vw, 810px” data-recalc-dims=”1″><figcaption><em>Emerald Airlines CEO Conor McCarthy and Reid Moody, Aer Lingus Chief Strategy & Planning Officer, accompanied by cabin crew from Emerald Airlines and Aer Lingus at the signing of a ten-year franchise agreement. Photo by Eoin McGirl, Aer Lingus.</em></figcaption></figure>
<p>Following the sudden collapse of Stobart Air, there was a sense of urgency to restore regional connectivity between the U.K. and Ireland. Aer Lingus initially took up five out of twelve routes previously operated by Stobart Air, while Ryanair and Swedish airline, Amapola began operating two Irish PSO routes, which were also operated by Stobart Air.</p>
<p>Back in August, AeroNewsX reported that Aer Lingus had signed a <a rel=)
ten-year franchise agreement with Emerald Airlines and is due to commence in January 2023. Under this new agreement, Emerald Airlines will provide regional connectivity between Ireland and regional airports in the U.K., the Isles of Man and Jersey under the Aer Lingus Regional brand and livery.
At the time of the announcement, Aer Lingus stated that it is “work closely with Emerald Airlines to evaluate options with respect to an earlier contract start date in light of Stobart Air recently ceasing operations.” Now that Emerald Airlines has received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the Irish Aviation Authority, there is a strong possibility that the Irish airline could commence commercial operations later this year.
Fleet type:
 100vw, 810px” data-recalc-dims=”1″><figcaption><em>ATR 72-600 registered F-WWEV. Photo by ATR.</em></figcaption></figure>
<p>AeroNewsX previously reported that <a rel=)
Emerald Airlines plans to lease six ATR 72-600 aircraft from regional aviation services provider, Chorus Aviation Capital, which “will be configured with 72 new-generation seats” and will have a 31-inch seat pitch. According to the Chief Executive of Emerald Airlines, Conor McCarthy the airline hopes to have a projected fleet of 15 ATR 72-600s.
AeroNewsX can also confirm that the first ATR 72-600 delivered to Emerald Airlines was EI-GPP. This particular all-white ATR 72 was built in 2016 and was previously operated by both FlyBe and Stobart Air before both airlines ceased trading.
The airline also used this aircraft to conduct its proving flight with the Irish aviation safety regulator. According to the Irish Aviation Authority, Emerald Airlines conducted its proving flight on the 3rd of September 2021. Flight EAI 001 departed Dublin Airport (DUB) at 15:48 and landed at Cork Airport (ORK) 37 minutes later.
In a statement after being granted its AOC, the CEO of Emerald Airlines, Conor McCarthy said “We are now able to progress towards the launch of scheduled services, which will be rolled out progressively as our aircraft are delivered and market conditions allow.” The Chief Executive also thanked the IAA for their “invaluable support” during its AOC application process.
Going forward
Even though Emerald Airlines is officially Ireland’s newest airline, the airline start-up will still need to prove that the regional market between the U.K. and Ireland is a profitable one. As previously mentioned, this particular aviation market can be unforgiving. However, with appropriate costing and good leadership, there is certainly a sizeable return to be made.
While it is still unclear as to when exactly Emerald Airlines will commence commercial flight operations, the CEO of Emerald Airlines reiterated that the carrier “will be working very closely with Aer Lingus on this,” now that the start-up has been granted its AOC. Overall the future of the Irish and U.K. regional market looks bright, as Emerald Airlines looks set to re-establish connectivity in the region which has been absent for well over a year and a half.
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Source: https://aeronewsx.com/introducing-irelands-newest-start-up-airline-emerald-airlines/
