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Airline bosses: No flights delay
BLACKPOOL bound airline Aer Arann insists it's business as usual despite a bankruptcy threat hanging over the company.
The Dublin-based carrier, which flies to Dublin from the resort's International Airport, has suffered losses of more than 18m Euros since 2008.
Bosses from the airline will go to the High Court in Dublin on Wednesday as an information memorandum relating to the sale of Aer Arann is completed by the interim examiner.
This is a process of Irish company law which protects a firm from its creditors while it comes up with a restructuring plan.
Aer Arann entered a franchise agreement with Aer Lingus earlier this year after the former experienced financial difficulties.
The decision of the company's board to apply for examinership followed two years of loss-making trading.
It said the airline had been on budget for this year, but was badly affected by the disruption caused by volcanic ash from Iceland.
In a statement, the company said: "Aer Arann intends to operate normally during the period of examinership and intends to fly all Aer Arann services and all Aer Lingus Regional services operated under the airline's franchise agreement with Aer Lingus.
"No flights have been cancelled or are planned to be cancelled and reservations can continue to be made on our website.
"Following the High Court hearing on Wednesday Aer Arann expects to remain in examinership for an initial period of up to 70 days.
"During that time the company will benefit from the protection of the Court from its creditors so that it can re-organise and re-structure the business.
"The airline will operate as normal in order to preserve as many of the 320 jobs in the company as possible and the hundreds of associated jobs in airports and aviation support services companies.
"The decision to petition for examinership follows two years of loss-making trading in a difficult economic environment with recession negatively impacting the global aviation industry followed by the volcanic ash disruptions this year."
Aer Arann has been operating from Blackpool since 2008.
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Weather for Blackpool
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: West
