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Rival airlines Aer Lingus and Ryanair are to increase competition at Cork Airport this summer, with both carriers announcing new routes and schedules today.

Aer Lingus said this morning it would add eight new routes to destinations including Tenerife, La Rochelle, Jersey, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London Gatwick from Cork airport.

This will bring to 140 the number of weekly departures that operate to the UK and continental Europe from the airport, an increase of 44 flights per week. This includes 22 routes served directly from Cork including Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Lanzarote, Malaga and Nice.

Aer Lingus said the development was evidence of the airline’s long-term commitment to building a route network to serve both business and leisure needs in the region.