Aircoach secures deal to acquire transport company Airporter
- First Bus owned Aircoach agree deal to purchase Northern Ireland based transport firm Airporter.
- The deal will see Aircoach takeover the company’s operations to expand its footprint in Ireland
- Aircoach will now increase its daily routes to seven with an enhanced all-island route connecting the North-West to Belfast International Airport, Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre.
Aircoach, First Bus’ Irish operator has acquired the well-known Northern Irish passenger transport company, Airporter.
The deal will see Aircoach takeover the Northern Ireland based company’s operations to expand its footprint in Ireland and increase its daily routes to seven with the new all-island route connecting the North-West to Belfast International Airport, Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre.
The acquisition includes the Airporter base at the Springtown Industrial Estate in the city and the transfer across of all Airporter drivers and operational staff to Aircoach to service the new timetable and route.
The new service also means that travellers from the North-West will now be able to arrive at Dublin Airport for early morning flights to the likes of key European destinations and major US cities.
Joe Thompson, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, First Bus UK said:
“Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone for Aircoach with the creation of an enhanced all-island service. This has been made possible with the acquisition of Airporter, a company which has served customers so well for over 25 years to and from the North-West.
“We’re privileged to be Ireland’s leading transport operator, bringing people to work, students to university, reuniting families, and bringing new visitors to our cities from all around the world.”
Dervla McKay, Managing Director of Aircoach said:
“The new service will further transform airport connectivity for those in the region, reducing fares for passengers and enabling them to avail of early morning flights at the two main airports on the island of Ireland.
“Aircoach is fully committed to ensuring that the North-West is connected to major travel and economic hubs to improve the attractiveness of the region as a place in which to invest. The deal marks a great step forward for Aircoach and we look forward to launching the new route in due course.”
The award-winning company, Aircoach is a subsidiary of First Group plc which is one of the UK and Ireland’s largest transport companies.
For more information see https://www.aircoach.ie
ENDS
Notes to editors
First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. Making journeys easier for our customers, we were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all of our services and our First Bus App is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. Our most recent investments are in new, state-of-the-art buses across our key networks.
We work proactively with our local authority partners, making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035; we have pledged not to purchase any new diesel buses after December 2022. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland. First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
For more information on First Bus: First Bus UK News
Aircoach
Aircoach is Ireland’s leading private bus and coach operator and provides a range of high frequency, quality scheduled coach services to and from Dublin City Centre and Dublin Airport. The company is proud to hold the title of ‘Airport Coach Operator of the Year 2020’ and remain committed to innovation.
For more information see https://www.aircoach.ie