Aer Lingus Regional Restarts Summer Route Between Cornwall and Dublin

Aer Lingus Regional has restarted its seasonal service between Cornwall Airport Newquay and Dublin for summer 2025. The route is flown daily by Emerald Airlines, which operates all Aer Lingus Regional flights, and runs until 24 October 2025. Introductory fares started at £39.99 one way as part of a return booking.

Flights use the ATR 72-600 turboprop, which seats 72 passengers. The flight covers roughly 210 miles (340 km) across the Irish Sea.

Ian Lough, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines, said the airline was pleased to bring back the seasonal route ahead of the busy summer months and described it as an affordable option for work and leisure travel. Amy Smith, interim managing director of Cornwall Airport Newquay, said the Dublin service was always popular with the airport's passengers, whether for a city break or onward travel to the US.

Onward connections to North America

The main value of the route for Cornwall is the Aer Lingus transatlantic network at Dublin. Passengers can connect to Aer Lingus flights to New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia and Cleveland, among others. Dublin also has US Customs and Border Protection preclearance, so passengers complete US immigration and customs before boarding and arrive in the US as domestic travellers.

For travellers in the far south-west of England, the alternative is a long road or rail journey to London or Bristol for a transatlantic flight. A short hop to Dublin with a single check-in and preclearance can save several hours.

A second Aer Lingus Regional route to Cornwall

Alongside the Dublin service, Aer Lingus Regional scheduled a seasonal route from Belfast City Airport to Newquay, operating twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 28 June to 30 August 2025.

The route's history

Emerald Airlines first opened Dublin-Newquay in December 2022 as a year-round service of four flights a week. By 2025 it was being operated as a summer seasonal route with daily flights, reflecting Cornwall's strongly seasonal tourism market.

About Emerald Airlines

Emerald Airlines was set up in 2020 and won the franchise to operate Aer Lingus Regional services after the previous operator, Stobart Air, ceased trading in June 2021. It received its air operator's certificate in September 2021 and began flying in early 2022. The airline flies only ATR 72-600 turboprops, and runs a UK subsidiary, Emerald Airlines (UK), for routes from Northern Ireland. After losses in its start-up years, it reported revenue of €201 million and an operating profit of €9.6 million for 2024.

The aircraft

The ATR 72-600 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M engines. It is slower than a regional jet but burns considerably less fuel on short sectors, which makes it well suited to routes of a few hundred miles such as Newquay-Dublin. Emerald says the type produces up to 40 per cent less CO2 than alternative aircraft on its routes.

Cornwall Airport Newquay

Newquay is Cornwall's main airport and relies on a mix of year-round domestic links and seasonal leisure routes. The Dublin service gives the county a one-stop link to North America.