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Emerald Airlines has a 10-year franchise agreement with Aer Lingus, connecting regional destinations across Ireland, the UK and France using a fleet of 20 ATR 72-600s.
BELFAST, Northern Ireland—Aer Lingus franchise carrier Emerald Airlines is battling the after-effects of the UK’s exit from the EU (Brexit), which means it has to operate under two air operator’s certificates (AOCs).
When Emerald launched operations mid-pandemic in February 2022, it had to set up two air operator’s certificates (AOCs) to fly from its main Dublin base (Republic of Ireland) to the EU and also offer UK domestic flights from Belfast (Northern Ireland).
“We're essentially running two separate AOCs under one roof. That has presented huge challenges,” Emerald Airlines CEO Keith Butler told delegates at the European Regions Airline Association (ERAA) general assembly in Belfast.
Emerald Airlines has a 10-year franchise agreement with Aer Lingus, connecting regional destinations across Ireland, the UK and France using a fleet of 20 ATR 72-600s. Of these, 13 are Dublin-based and seven are based at Belfast City Airport.
“In AOG [aircraft on ground] situations, we've got to hire in an aircraft from ourselves if we want to have operational robustness, and that's a burdensome process,” Butler said. “We can't interchange our crew between bases in any way.”
UK-registered aircraft based in Belfast need UK-licensed pilots and UK-licensed engineers, while Dublin-based aircraft need EU-licensed personnel. “That does pose real challenges from a labor perspective,” Butler said, particularly on the UK side and locally in Belfast, where the pool is more limited.
“It has affected the number of flights we've been able to operate,” Butler said. “Ideally, there would be a resolution to this for all UK operators, in terms of mutual recognition between European and UK licenses for both engineers and pilots, or some sort of fast qualification recognition.”
In the meantime, Emerald is planning to establish an engineering apprenticeship training program in partnership with local colleges and is exploring ways to support new pilots.
Despite the challenges, Emerald has 650 employees across both bases, including 160 in Belfast. Demand is strong and passenger numbers are expected to grow over 7–8% this year, without additional aircraft.
“It's been a real challenge building up to 20 aircraft over a three to four-year period. We've done that and achieved profitability within year two of operation,” Butler said.
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