Emerald Airlines, the exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional services, has marked a major milestone in its brief but ambitious history by securing its first operating profit. The achievement, recorded in the year ending 2024, represents a decisive shift in the airline’s financial trajectory. After closing 2023 with an operating loss of €7.6 million, the company has now reported a profit of €9.6 million, signalling a confident step out of the start-up phase and into sustainable growth.
The result reflects a period of disciplined expansion and operational focus. Over the course of 2024, Emerald Airlines strengthened its fleet with the addition of its eighteenth aircraft in May, helping to lift overall capacity by 8.8 per cent. The airline now operates twenty ATR72-600 aircraft, a fleet profile designed around efficiency and regional connectivity. This growth supported a sizeable rise in revenue, which increased by 20.5%. Passenger numbers also rose by 15.7%, contributing to a 4.6-point improvement in load factor. By the end of the year, Emerald Airlines had carried 2.2 million passengers and operated with an average load factor of 80 per cent, a clear indication of strong and consistent demand across its network.
Chief Executive Keith Butler described the announcement as a defining moment for the carrier. He noted that Emerald Airlines now operates the most extensive Aer Lingus Regional network ever established. At Dublin Airport alone, the airline accounts for more than a quarter of all Aer Lingus departures. When combined with its operations in Belfast and its routes from Cork, the company has firmly established itself as a reliable and recognised option for regional travel across Ireland and beyond.(€1.00 = US$1.16 at time of publication).
