Aer Arann is official airline of Sunderland AFC Ireland Tour

Sunderland AFC’s pre-season visits to the Republic of Ireland will once again be courtesy of Aer Arann. The Irish airline is the ‘Official Airline of Sunderland AFC Ireland Tour 2008’ and will be flying Roy Keane and his team from Newcastle to Cork for the Cobh Ramblers fixture and again throughout the club’s 5-day tour taking in games against Athlone Town and Shamrock Rovers.

SAFC Chairman Niall Quinn said: “We are delighted to be bringing Sunderland to Ireland again with our friends at Aer Arann. A great feeling of goodwill has developed between Sunderland and the Irish public and this trip will continue to cement that.”

Aer Arann is Official Airline of Sunderland AFC Ireland Tour 2008

Aer Arann sponsored the Black Cats trip to Ireland last season and the company has continued to cement its links with the club by supplying the planes for Sunderland Travel’s matchday charter flights. Sunderland Travel offers special packages for every Sunderland home game, giving Irish fans the opportunity to watch Roy Keane’s side in action on a regular basis.

Fergal Barry, Commercial Director, Aer Arann, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Sunderland once again on their pre season tour of Ireland. There are strong Irish connections with Sunderland and we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with them as we grow our routes in the UK market.

“We expect that this year’s tour of Ireland will mirror the success of last year’s tour and everyone at Aer Arann wishes Sunderland the best for the forthcoming season".

Supporters can keep up-to-date with Sunderland’s tours of Portugal and Ireland with exclusive news, interviews and match highlights and reports on safc.com and safc tv.