AER ÁRANN HAS notified the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht that it intends to end its contract to provide flights to the Aran Islands from 6 December.

The flights are part of the Public Service Obligation agreement between the airline and the department.

Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and the Islands Joe McHugh said he intends to meet with members of the island communities next week to reassure them about flight services to and from the islands.

The department says that it intends to put the flight routes out to tender “as a matter of priority”.

“The minister has stressed that both he and the department’s priority is to ensure continuity of transport services for island communities,” a spokesperson for the department said today.

“He looks forward to a constructive engagement with representatives of the island communities and to progressing a new tender as a matter of urgency.”

Aer Arann Islands has not commented publicly on its decision to end the PSO contract.

It’s understood that a dispute has arisen between Aer Arann Islands and the department about the costs associated with so-called “ad hoc” flights outside the PSO contract.