Passengers were heading to Ireland and onwards as new flights take off from Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield to Dublin.

The operation, a franchise agreement between Ireland’s regional airline, Aer Arann and Irish national carrier Aer Lingus, titled ‘Aer Lingus Regional’, will see the development of a number of feeder services to Ireland from the UK – with the added bonus of onward transatlantic connections to New York and Boston.

The service will see flights arriving from Dublin at 11.15am and departing for the return flight at 11.40am.

Mike Morton, Airport Director at Robin Hood Airport said: “We were delighted to welcome passengers from Dublin to Doncaster Sheffield once again and celebrate our first outbound passengers heading to Dublin and onwards.

“The fact that this new route is now operational is great news for the airport and for people living in South Yorkshire, the North Midlands, Lincolnshire and the Humber.

“We worked hard to bring back Dublin, which was one of our most popular routes from Doncaster Sheffield Airport, and the fact that this route opens up transatlantic connections to our passengers is a huge step forward for us.

“The Aer Lingus connection means that passengers travelling to the states will be able to travel on one through ticket.  They’ll be able to drop their baggage at Doncaster Sheffield without having to check it in again at Dublin for their onward connection, and importantly clear US customs in Dublin ahead of arriving in New York and Boston.”

Stephen Kavanagh, Aer Lingus Chief Commercial Officer said; “The expanded route network will enable us to serve key UK regional destinations with improved frequency and schedule options, while providing connectivity with our transatlantic network.”

Also welcoming the departure of the first Aer Lingus Regional flights, Aer Arann Chief Executive Paul Schütz said; “With our franchise partner we have created a product that offers a customer-focussed schedule with increased frequency and both regional and trans-Atlantic connectivity. Direct flights to Doncaster Sheffield combined with new connecting services to the US offers a significant boost to both business and the tourism industry at a time when it is badly needed.

“Our combined brand power and quality products make it an excellent service for passengers and we look forward to welcoming both new and existing Aer Arann and Aer Lingus customers on board our flights from today”, he continued.