Record month for Aer Lingus Regional in May

Passenger numbers at Aer Lingus Regional rose by 35 per cent in May, according to new figures.

The airline, which is operated by Stobart Air, said it flew a record 122,079 passengers last month. This is 31,589 more passengers than for May 2013 and 1,191 than the previous record set in August 2013.

Aer Lingus Regional said total passenger numbers for the year to date are up 23 per cent. Passenger numbers for the airline’s Dublin routes are up 49 per cent versus the same period last year.

Passenger numbers on the airline’s Cork services saw a second consecutive month of growth with an 11 per cent increase from the same month last year.

Routes from Shannon Airport saw a 15 per cent rise in passengers last month compared to May 2013.

The airline said passenger numbers from the UK connecting to transatlantic flights in Ireland has more than doubled in the first four months of the year compared to the same period in 2013. It said this was largely due to Aer Lingus’ new San Francisco and Toronto services.

Stobart Air rebranded from Aer Arran in March. The airline currently operates 550 flights a week across 27 routes connecting Ireland, Britain and France.