Aer Arann Islands

IATA ICAO Callsign - - -
Founded	1970 (Galway); 53 years ago
Operating bases	Connemara Airport
Fleet size	3
Destinations	4
Headquarters	Connemara Airport, Inverin, County Galway
Website	aerarannislands.ie

Aer Arann Islands (stylised as aer arann islands) is an Irish airline headquartered in Inverin, County Galway.^[1] They operate a three-strong fleet of Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft to connect the Aran Islands with mainland County Galway.

History

Aer Arann Islands was established in 1970 by James Coen, Ralph Langan, and Colie Hernon^[2] to provide an island-hopping air service between Galway and the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. Operations, using a single Britten-Norman Islander, began in August 1970.

After the airline failed to win a tender for a four-year contract, the island flight service was threatened with closure on September 30, 2015. This was to be replaced by a helicopter service from Galway Airport. Protests about the airport change and job losses led to this decision being reversed, so Aer Arann Islands continued to fly to the islands.^[3]

This service is now based at Connemara Airport and operates between ten and thirty flights to the three Aran islands with an average flight time of eight minutes. As of 2021^[update], Aer Arann Islands prefers the Britten-Norman islander aircraft to provide this service.

As of January 2020^[update] the airline is under new ownership with plans to develop and maintain the levels of service to both island communities and visitors. In 2022, the airline signed a four-year contract to provide year-round public service obligation (PSO) from Connemara Airport to all three Aran islands.^[4]

Current fleet

As of March 2022, Aer Arann Islands operate a fleet of 3 Britten Norman BN-2 aircraft.

Destinations

Aer Arann Islands destinations

• Aran Islands
  • Inis Meáin – Inishmaan Aerodrome
  • Inis Mór – Inishmore Aerodrome
  • Inis Oírr – Inisheer Aerodrome
• Ireland (mainland)
  • Inverin – Connemara Airport Base