Aer Lingus faces demand to boost Cork-Amsterdam flights

Aer Lingus is facing demands to boost its Cork-to-Amsterdam service which the airline has cut back for the summer.

The carrier flies 10 times a-week between Cork and Amsterdam Schiphol, which is one of Europe’s biggest hubs.

Aer Lingus did fly the route twice a-day during the winter, but cut back in summer, as the airline maintains demand shifts to sun destinations.

However, Deirdre Clune, member of the European Parliament, says that demand remains for the service throughout the summer, particularly amongst business people in the region.

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Ms Clune argued that the link to Schiphol was important as the Netherlands airport offers connections to a range of international destinations as well as being a convenient point for travel to key European cities such as Paris and Brussels.

“The latest figures show that it is the third most popular destination for travellers at both Cork and Dublin airports,” she said.

"A recent report also showed that Amsterdam is one of the best connected airports in Europe. "

Aer Lingus cuts flight frequencies on the route during the summer as demand for services to cities such as Amsterdam falls in favour of sun-holiday destinations.

The airline said that it was likely to increase the service to 12 times a-week in coming months when demand for holiday destinations fell.

"Demand for city destinations declines in the summer and demand for leisure destinations increases, thus aircraft that serve Amsterdam in the winter months have been deployed to leisure destinations such as Alicante, Las Palmas and Barcelona," Aer Lingus said.

The airline added that it flew 100,000 passengers a-year in and out of Cork. It has a core service to Heathrow that operates four times a-day year round, and recently added a winter route to Lisbon.

Ms Clune, a member of European Parliament’s tourism and transport committee, said that constituents have complained to her that they need the service during the summer.

She was speaking following the publication of a report from the Oireachtas library and research service showing that the Republic's airports contribute €10 billion to the economy.