New route saves 30 jobs at Aer Arann

Aer Arann has announced that 30 jobs have been saved at the airline due to the introduction of a new Isle of Man service.

Last week the airline said it was to reduce its workforce by up to 25 per cent by seeking 100 redundancies as part of a cost-reduction programme.

However, it said today that up to 30 positions - mostly among flight crew and cabin crew - which were scheduled for redundancy, will be retained with the creation of a new Isle of Man base. It will serve the Isle of Man to London City route, which was announced earlier this week.

The airline will operate three daily flights from the Isle of Man to London from January 19th and most of the saved jobs will now be based at the Isle of Man airport.

Aer Arann also said it also intends to seek new charter and contract lease business in a bid to further reduce costs.

"This retention of jobs is a welcome immediate result to a sustained effort to implement a dynamic new business model and a strategy that reflects the economy generally and an aviation industry globally that is under severe pressure" said Aer Arann chief executive-designate Paul Schutz.

The airline said its continuing focus on the airline's contract lease business and the new Isle of Man development would allow it to retain a core fleet of 11 aircraft on scheduled services and 1 aircraft on contract lease.

Three routes are to be suspended in the New Year, but there will be no change to services between Dublin and Galway, Donegal, Derry, Sligo or Knock, the airline said.

"Route reductions like this are normal for the winter schedule and while the cuts may be a little deeper in these recessionary times, routes that are suspended will be kept under review and may return in the future when the demand is there to support them," said Mr Schutz.