Aer Lingus considers new Scottish base

Aer Lingus is considering the possible expansion of its Scottish operations in the near future, at either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, according to The Scotsman.

The Irish flagship airlines opened its first base of operations outside Dublin in 2007, and is now said to looking at established a major presence at three UK airports.

Enda Corneille, a spokesperson for Aer Lingus, confirmed that plans were under consideration, but did not offer a timetable for the opening of new bases, except to say that any new expansion will depend on the carrier being able to add short-haul planes to its fleet.

Once the carrier has selected the new operating bases, it is expected to re-create the model it has employed at the Belfast Airport, which involves three aircraft serving 10 short-haul routes within Europe.

Observers believe that establishing a presence at either Edinburgh or Glasgow will be difficult, however, as the Irish low-cost carrier, Ryanair, will offer stiff competition, having a major presence in both cities.

Earlier in August, Aer Lingus confirmed that it was adding flights to its Dublin-Edinburgh route. Currently, the airline sees more than 200,000 passengers annually on flight from the Irish capital to Scotland.

www.aerlingus.com