Member Article

Festival is plane sailing thanks to Aer Lingus Regional

The 27th Tyneside Irish Festival is set to soar high thanks to sponsorship from Irish Airline, Aer Lingus Regional.

Aer Lingus Regional operated by Aer Arann, recently launched a new route to Dublin Airport from Newcastle International Airport, with the inaugural flight taking place from October 24 - right in the middle of the festival which runs from October 13-27.

The festival has a wide variety of artists, many of whom are coming from the Emerald Isle to bring a taste of Irish culture to the North East.

Tony Corcoran, the festival director, said “We are extremely grateful for the sponsorship we have received from Aer Lingus Regional. This, along with support from other commercial and Irish sources, has enabled us to make a £35,000 investment into the North East arts programme to support its valuable work in the region.

“We are now in our 27th year and going from strength to strength. The programme has expanded immensely from our first festival in 1987 and this year we have over 40 events. It is very important to us that we keep the Anglo Irish links strong and continue our work in helping to develop the arts in the region.”

Musicians and dancers from the Tyneside Irish Festival recently performed at Newcastle Airport to welcome the new Aer Lingus Regional service. The airline, which will operate two daily return flights to Dublin Airport from Newcastle starting on 24 October, will be very popular with those flying to the USA.

Pre-clearance at Dublin Airport, operated by US Customs and Border staff, means that those on flights from Newcastle will save up to two hours on arrival at US destinations as they will be treated similarly to domestic passengers, therefore avoiding the delays that often occur with US security.

Simon Fagan, Aer Arann’s Chief Commercial Officer, said “We are delighted to announce the launch of our newest Newcastle Dublin route. This new route connects Aer Lingus Regional passengers in Newcastle with Ireland’s capital city and adds another of the main UK cities to the airlines’ network for Irish passengers.

“Equally, the new route will enable Newcastle-based passengers to connect with Aer Lingus mainline services in Dublin where they can pre-clear security and customs for some of the main US cities, in advance of making their onward trip at reduced journey times.

“Aer Lingus Regional is committed to providing our customers with easy, convenient and great value in regional connections. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board this new flight.”

This year’s festival has been made possible due to many local sponsors including Lionra (Professional Business Networking Group), Bradley O’Mahoney Public Relations, Heineken, the Allied Irish Bank, Blueline Taxis, Jury’s Inn and main sponsor the Immigrants Support Programme.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Bradley O’Mahoney Public Relations .