Sweden’s Amapola Flyg secures Irish PSO contract for Donegal

Amapola Flyg (HP, Stockholm Arlanda) has been awarded the Public Service Obligation (PSO) air services contract for the Dublin Int’l to Donegal and vice versa route after it was left vacant following the collapse of Stobart Air (RE, Dublin Int’l) in June.

An Irish government statement said the Swedish regional carrier would use a Fokker 50 to run the route twice a day, every day effective July 26.

“I am pleased to announce that Swedish operator Amapola has been awarded the seven-month contract to operate on the Government-funded Donegal – Dublin PSO route,” Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said. “In order to ensure continuity of service on the Donegal route when this temporary contract expires, I plan to launch a further procurement process this summer to provide for a longer-term contract of up to four years on the route.”

Amapola Flyg operates a fleet of twelve Fokker Aircraft split evenly between Fokker 50 passenger props and Fokker 50 freighters. It currently operates seven PSO routes in Sweden and Finland.

As previously reported, Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int’l) will assume Stobart Air’s other vacant Irish PSO contract – between Dublin and Kerry – albeit on an unsubsidised basis, effective July 28.