Two new routes have been added by two airlines from Dublin Airport for next year. 

Icelandic carrier WOW air said it will launch a new all year round Dublin to Reykjavik service from next summer.

And Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, said it will add East Midlands Airport in the UK to its Dublin route network.

Aer Lingus Regional said it expects to carry up to 70,000 customers a year on the new route and will operate all services on its new fleet of regional aircraft. It will have twice daily flights on the route from February.

The new service marks the first time that Aer Lingus Regional has operated flights to the East Midlands in 18 years. The airport is near the cities of Derby, Nottingham and Leicester.

Earlier this year, the airline launched new services from Cork to Newcastle and from Dublin to Leeds Bradford. With the addition of the new route, the airline now flies to 28 major UK cities from Ireland.

"We are pleased to link Dublin to a region which has eight major universities including Loughborough University and University of Leicester, as well as being home to the headquarters of some of the UK's most iconic businesses including Rolls Royce, Aero and Marine, JCB and Boots," commented  Simon Fagan, Stobart Air's chief commercial officer.

Meanwhile, Iceland's WOW air is to launch a new all year round Dublin to Reykjavik service from next summer.

WOW will fly three times per week between Dublin and Reykjavik from next June, and will operate the first scheduled service between the two cities. 

WOW, which started flying in 2012, is a low-cost carrier that currently operates 16 routes from its home base at Keflavik airport in Iceland. 

The airline was founded by Icelandic entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen and it has grown dramatically over the past two years. It carried over 400,000 passengers last year and is expected to have more than 700,000 passengers in 2014.

Iceland has enjoyed a tourist boom in recent years, due to increased air access, a devaluation of the local currency and a sustained international marketing campaign.  

Annual visitor numbers to Iceland increased by 20% to a record 807,000 last year.