Aer Lingus plans to expand its European network with four new routes from Cork airport in southern Ireland, the state airline said today.
Aer Lingus's chief operations officer, Mr Seamus Kearney
The airline, which wants to shed 1,300 jobs in three years to compete with budget carriers, will offer direct flights from Cork to Rome, Italy; Munich, Germany; Nice, France; and Faro, Portugal.
"This announcement forms part of our strategy of expanding our European network and of providing direct low fares access to popular destinations," Aer Lingus's chief operations officer, Mr Seamus Kearney, said in a statement.
He said the expansion would add 1.25 million seats each year to its Cork operations. It already flies to seven destinations from Cork, the European Capital of Culture in 2005.
The carrier has slashed costs since it nearly went bankrupt in 2001 after business slumped following the September 11th attacks in the United States.
Last week, it offered workers at least €40,000 ($49,290) each to take voluntary redundancy under cost-cutting plans. Unions say their members will strike if job cuts are imposed on the workforce.
The airline is the target of a management buyout led by its chief executive, Mr Willie Walsh.