Two new summer routes to Quimper and Brest in Brittany have been added to to Kerry Airport's summer schedule.

Commencing on July 1 the seasonal summer service by French Airline Chalair, will operate every Saturday with a flight time of less than 1 hour 40 minutes from Kerry to France on board a 70-seat ATR 72 aircraft.

Tickets will be available online from www.Chalair.fr or any travel agency while all fares will include a free baggage allowance and free on-board service.

“We are delighted to welcome Chalair to Kerry who will operate a weekly service to two destinations in Brittany, France from July 1," CEO of Kerry Airport Ireland, John Mulhern, said.

"The airline has been serving Brittany for many years and these new routes from Kerry will be the airline’s first in Ireland. They will be a welcome addition to the offerings for passengers from Kerry Airport seeking to explore and relax in a most beautiful region of France, while the French people will now have new routes into Ireland to enjoy all that Kerry and the region has to offer. Ultimately, this will boost the local economy during the peak tourism season and sow the seeds for the development of additional routes from France in the years to come.”

Chalair is an independent airline that has been operating scheduled flights in France since 1986. Its fleet of aircraft ranges from 19 to 70 seats and is currently the reference airline for such aircraft on the French market.

Chalair’s CEO, Alain Battisti, expressed his enthusiasm on launching this new service.

“Ireland, and specifically County Kerry, is a very popular destination for French tourists from the West of France, and no doubt that Britany is - and will be - a must-go destination for people from Munster and beyond. To take an up-to-date rugby analogy, I am sure this first ‘try’ will be ‘converted’, and Chalair will expand its offerings in the coming years.”

These new destinations from Kerry to Quimper and Brest in Brittany will bring to nine the number of routes that will be available to passengers for the summer months.

Kerry Airport already serves Alicante, Faro, Dublin, London (Luton & Stansted), Manchester and Frankfurt Hahn with Ryanair.