PSO Routes Awarded to Stobart Air
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD, announced last Friday that Stobart Air will operate the two Public Service Obligation (PSO) air routes linking the airports in Donegal and Kerry with Dublin for the next four years. The current PSO contract for these two routes expires at the end of this month and the new contract will operate from 1st February 2018 until 31st January 2022.
The award of the new contract to Stobart follows an EU public tendering process conducted by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in accordance with the requirements of EU Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1008/2008 which allows PSOs to airports that serve peripheral or less developed regions.
Kerry Airport managed a total of 325,670 passengers in 2016, that latest year for which figures are available. Of that, 48,712 travelled on the Dublin-Kerry route. Donegal handled 44,156 passengers in 2016.
“The airports in Donegal and Kerry are relatively remote from Dublin and the PSO flight schedules will continue to facilitate return trips within the day to our capital city and onward connections to the UK, Europe and beyond, availing of the wide range of international destinations available at Dublin Airport” the Minister said.