Aer Lingus Regional has launched a new route to Newcastle Airport, with two daily return flights to the UK city to begin on October 24th.

Operated by Aer Arann, the airline aims to carry up to 65,000 passengers in the first year, and flights to the northern city are on sale now with introductory fares currently available from £/€29.99 one-way, including taxes and charges.

Ireland will also become a hub for Newcastle passengers connecting to the US via Aer Lingus’ mainline services in Dublin.

Aer Arann’s chief commercial officer, Simon Fagan, said that the addition of the new route is the next step in the growth of Aer Arann

“The Newcastle Dublin route will facilitate connections to Aer Lingus mainline services to the US for passengers in the north east of England. Newcastle-based passengers can connect to some of the main US and Canadian cities – New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Orlando and Toronto – via Dublin, where passengers can avail of security and customs preclearance on some US routes. Ireland is the only country in Europe to offer passport and customs pre-clearance to some of the main US destinations”.

Aer Lingus Regional aims to connect 3,500 passengers through Dublin in the first 12 months.

Aer Arann operates 550 flights per week across 25 routes in Ireland, the UK and France.