Air services linking the country's regional airports with Dublin are to be provided by Aer Arann Express and Loganair over the next three years.
After a public tender process Loganair will fly a new Derry to Dublin schedule while Aer Arann will operate services between linking Dublin with Kerry, Donegal, Sligo, Galway and Knock.
The contracts provide for extra capacity and flights to and from Kerry and Galway, new services from Knock and Derry and an increase in state funding from £3.3m to £10m a year.
Today's announcement is particularily significant for Knock as it re-establishes a connection with Dublin lost five years ago.
