Aer Arann is to create 50 new positions as the first of eight new aircraft began operations. The new jobs, and a €144 million deal for the new aircraft, are part of what the carrier is calling its 'new beginning' strategy - which aims to position Aer Arann among the top tier of regional airlines in Europe.

The 50 new jobs will cover a range of areas, including flight and cabin crew, engineering and support roles.

Recruitment for the jobs, which will be based at the airline headquarters in Dublin and in Dublin Airport, is under way. It will bring overall staff numbers at the company to 370.

Aer Arann operates Aer Lingus Regional routes from Cork, Shannon, Kerry and Ireland-West Airport, Knock and hopes to double its passenger numbers to over 2 million over the next 5 years. The airline has overseen a 32% rise in Aer Lingus Regional passenger numbers in the past 12 months,

The announcement today was made by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, who said "Aer Arann is proving that it is possible to operate successfully as a regional airline by linking Ireland with the UK market and beyond. The company is investing in new aircraft, new routes and new jobs".

Aer Arann Interim CEO Seán Brogan added "These measures included a restructuring of the company, significant investment in new aircraft, extension of the franchise agreement with Aer Lingus until 2022, and the addition of new routes to Manchester and Birmingham. Given these measures, an increasing customer base and expanding route network, we now need to grow our team".

Aer Arann operates 550 flights weekly across 27 routes throughout Ireland, the UK and France and currently employs over 320 people in Ireland.