#AranIslands - While Inis Mór’s winter ferry link with the mainland remains in question, Aran Islands residents at least have an answer to their air service woes.
According to Galway Bay FM, Aer Arann Islands has been selected as the State’s preferred tender for the long-running route to the islands in Galway Bay.
The new PSO contract for the islands to Na Minna airport near Rossaveal runs from 1 January 2017 to the end of 2020, confirming continued flights for another four years.
The move follows several extensions to the existing contract that saw the State and Aer Arann at deadlock over costs on the route, as well as a controversial tender in 2015 to replace the decades-old airplane route with a helicopter service.
Meanwhile, an Oireachtas committee was addressed last week by a group representing Inis Mór residents as the dispute over the island’s winter ferry service continues.