| Airline: | Aer Arann Islands |
| Iata: | - |
| Icao: | - |
| Callsign: | - |
| Founded: | 1970 (Galway); 53 years ago |
| Headquarters: | Connemara Airport, Inverin, County Galway |
| Bases: | Connemara Airport |
| Fleet Size: | 3 |
| Destinations: | 4 |
| Website: | aerarannislands.ie |
Aer Arann Islands (stylised as aer arann islands) is an Irish airline headquartered in Inverin, County Galway.[1] They operate a three-strong fleet of Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft to connect the Aran Islands with mainland County Galway.
Aer Arann Islands was established as Aer Arann in 1970 by James Coen, Ralph Langan, and Colie Hernon[2] to provide an island-hopping air service between Galway and the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. Operations, using a single Britten-Norman Islander, began in August 1970.
Aer Arann made a number of short-lived expansions, including summer service along the south and west coasts with a Short Sandringham flying boat from Killaloe in the late 1970s, and commuter service between Shannon and Dublin, and to the UK with Avair, in the 1980s.[3]
In 1994, Aer Arann was acquired by Pádraig Ó Céidigh and Eugene O'Kelly, who expanded it into a regional airline.[4] When the regional carrier was acquired by Stobart Group in the 2010s and became Stobart Air, the Aran Islands service was spun off to an independent Aer Arann Islands, remaining owned by Ó Céidigh until 2020.[5]
After Aer Arann Islands failed to win a tender for a four-year contract, the island flight service was threatened with closure on September 30, 2015. This was to be replaced by a helicopter service from Galway Airport. Protests about the airport change and job losses led to this decision being reversed, so Aer Arann Islands continued to fly to the islands.[6]
This service is now based at Connemara Airport and operates between ten and thirty flights to the three Aran islands with an average flight time of eight minutes., Aer Arann Islands prefers the Britten-Norman islander aircraft to provide this service.
the airline is under new ownership with plans to develop and maintain the levels of service to both island communities and visitors. In 2022, the airline signed a four-year contract to provide year-round public service obligation (PSO) from Connemara Airport to all three Aran islands.[7]
As of March 2022, Aer Arann Islands operate a fleet of 3 Britten Norman BN-2 aircraft. These are registered EI-AYN, EI-BCE and EI-CUW [8]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britten-Norman Islander BN2A | 2 | - | 9 | ||
| Britten-Norman Islander BN2B | 1 | - | 9 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 |
Aer Arann Islands destinations