In an effort to get its books back in the black, Aer Lingus plans to launch four new routes this autumn. The beleaguered airline says it hopes to increase efficiency and profitability by offering a greater range of lower-priced flights to customers.
The new services, linking Dublin to Prague,Vienna and Geneva, and Cork to Malaga are due to begin operating from October 27th.
This will bring the total number of new routes introduced by the company this year to nine. Flights from Dublin to Malaga, Barcelona, Nice, Alicante and Faro were launched in the first half of the year.
All nine new routes will be run without employing extra staff or adding any aircraft to the fleet, due to "more effective utilisation of existing aircraft", the company says. As a result of these new "efficiencies", the company says it will be able to offer lower fares on the new flights.
"Lowering the costs means lower prices for our customers," the Aer Lingus chief executive, Mr Willie Walsh, said. "We are committed to aggressively reducing our costs on an ongoing basis. This is the only way to sustainable profits," he said.
Prices for the new flights start from €79 each way for the Cork-Malaga route and €99 each way for the three Dublin routes.
In launching the new routes and continuing its commitment to keep costs down, Aer Lingus was building on the efficiencies of the the post-September 11th survival plan, Mr Walsh said.
"The survival plan was the beginning, not the end, of change in Aer Lingus. We are becoming more efficient, simplifying the business of getting people to their destinations."
