Best short haul: Aer Lingus soars past KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa

DUBLIN, Ireland – Aer Lingus has won a top award at the Guardian and Observer Travel Awards.

The annual ceremony, voted for by Guardian and Observer readers, took place at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and recognized excellence across the tourism industry.

The carrier beat off stiff international competition in the category from airlines such as British Airways and Lufthansa to win the title of ‘Best Short Haul’ airline.

Aer Lingus CCO Keith Butler said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have received such a prestigious accolade, particularly among some the world’s top airlines.”

Speaking about the importance of the UK market, Butler added: “It has become increasingly important due to the growth in numbers of UK based customers transferring at Dublin to travel onwards on our flights to North America.”

This traffic is set to increase as the busy summer season approaches.

Aer Lingus now faces stiff competition in the European short haul space as airlines like Ryanair continue to report record profits but has thrived since its takeover last year by International Airlines Group.

As part of its 2016 summer short haul schedule, the airline is introducing six new routes from Ireland including Dublin to Liverpool, Cork to Dusseldorf and Belfast to Alicante.

Commenting on the win, judges said that: “The UK to Ireland is one of the busiest country markets in the world and Aer Lingus has grown its market share by just over 13 per cent.”

Aer Lingus will also expand it’s transatlantic network with the introduction of three new North American services from Dublin to Los Angeles, Connecticut and New Jersey.