KLM has announced plans for a new route between Cork and Amsterdam next year.

The daily Cityhopper service will launch on March 30, 2020, and will be operated by Embraer 175 or 190 aircraft depending on the day of the week.

Irish carrier Aer Lingus currently flies the Cork-Amsterdam route, and the new KLM service will add 41,000 seats on the route for the summer 2020 season.

Flight KL1087 will depart Amsterdam at 1550, landing into Cork at 1640, with the return leg KL1088 leaving the Irish city at 1710 and landing back into Schipol airport at 2000.

KLM’s sister carrier Air France launched flights between Cork and Paris CDG last year, and is set to increase frequency on the route to twice daily next summer.

Cork airport said that it is currently in its fourth consecutive year of growth, with passenger figures set to be up 8 per cent in 2019 compared to last year. It added that is forecasting further growth for next year, “despite the economic challenges of Brexit ahead”.

Commenting on the news Pieter Elbers, president and CEO of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines said:

“I am very pleased to announce Cork as KLM’s 93rd European destination. KLM offers customers from the South of Ireland a convenient connection to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and onwards to over 170 KLM destinations.

“And of course KLM customers worldwide will have the opportunity to enjoy the sights of the beautiful city and surrounding county of Cork.”

Business Traveller recently attended a press conference in London where Elbers spoke of KLM’s “bread and butter” of connecting UK regional airports to Amsterdam Schiphol.

The carrier flies to 16 points in the UK, including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle – as well as Dublin in Ireland.

klm.com