Shannon Airport welcomes new Aer Lingus year-round services to United States

                                                   

Courtesy: Shannon Airport 

Shannon Airport has welcomed the Aer Lingus announcement it is to significantly increase it's presence at the airport from early 2014, with the introduction of year-round services six times weekly services to Boston from 20th January increasing to a daily service from 30th March and six times weekly to New York JFK from 30th March, using two Boeing 757-200 aircraft wet-leased from Air Contractors.

The existing Shannon based Aer Lingus A330-200 will be re-deployed to Dublin to launch a new route to San Francisco.

The introduction of year-round services to Boston and New York JFK could see Aer Lingus carry an additional 50,000 passengers from Shannon in 2014, enabling onward connections through the United States with it's partner JetBlue Airways.

The Boeing 757-200 is very popular aircraft type in the Shannon-US Market used by Delta Airlines, US Airways and United Airlines to New York JFK, Philadelphia and Chicago.

SAA plc Chief Executive Neil Pakey said "2013 is proving a very good year on transatlantic already at Shannon as summer services will see an increase of up to 25% in passenger numbers.  To have Aer Lingus make this very commitment for 2014 is another hugely positive development for Shannon and, particularly, for passengers seeking access on transatlantic services."

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Dublin Airport welcomes new Aer Lingus routes to San Francisco & Toronto

                                                     

Busy Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport 

Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) welcomes today’s announcement from Aer Lingus that it will launch new direct routes from Dublin to San Francisco and Toronto from next April. Aer Lingus will operate year-round services to San Francisco five times weekly and Toronto daily further strengthening Dublin Airport's position as an Transatlantic Hub.

The launch of the new Aer Lingus services comes at a time of significant growth in transatlantic traffic at Dublin Airport. Passenger numbers on transatlantic services to and from Dublin are up more than 10% so far this year.

DAA Chief Executive Kevin Toland said "The resumption of flights to the west coast of the United States means Dublin will have direct services to 12 cities in North America next year. Three of those cities will be served by more than one carrier with three airlines operating routes to New York’s JFK airport and to Toronto, and two airlines offering Dublin-Chicago services.

The West Coast of the United States has been one of the key long-haul targets for Dublin Airport’s aviation marketing team and we have been working closely with Aer Lingus and other stakeholders to help deliver this new route."

The ability to pre-clear US customs and immigration at Dublin prior to departure is helping drive transatlantic growth at Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport is the only capital city airport in Europe to offer this pre-clearance facility to passengers.

This summer, Dublin Airport will have 224 flights to and from Dublin and North America per week, which is more than either Gatwick or Manchester airports.
                                                   

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 3rd July 2013 All Rights Reserved.

                                                   
                                   

                                                   

Air Contractors wet-leases Boeing 757s to Aer Lingus to support Transatlantic growth

                                                   

Courtesy: Google 

ASL Aviation Group Irish airline Air Contractors, recently signed an agreement with Aer Lingus to provide three Boeing B757-200 aircraft on a wet-lease basis to support the  airline’s transatlantic route network growth in 2014.

ASL Aviation has confirmed the three Boeing 757s for the Aer Lingus wet-lease are being leased from ILFC.

Air Contractors will base one Boeing 757-200 in Dublin to operate the new Dublin to Toronto route from April 2014 and two in Shannon Airport to operate to Boston and New York JFK year-round from January and March 2014.

The aircraft will be configured with an economy and business class cabin. Business travellers will continue to enjoy the same great level of service; with gourmet meals, sleeper seats and an extensive in-flight entertainment selection.

ASL Aviation Group CEO Hugh Flynn said "We are delighted to partner with Aer Lingus in bringing renowned excellent service to increasing numbers of business and leisure passengers on new and existing routes.

ASL Aviation Group enjoys a world-class excellent reputation for safety, reliability and quality. We are a global company, with almost 90 aircraft operating all over the world under our own brand and for leading airlines, and we are proud to work with Ireland’s national airline.

We believe the combination of two prominent Irish aviation companies brings a competitive dimension to the market and significantly increases economic opportunity for Ireland."

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 3rd July 2013 All Rights Reserved.

Aer Lingus expands Transatlantic route network from Dublin and Shannon

                                                     

Aer Lingus today announced further expansion of its Transatlantic network from Dublin and Shannon in 2014, creating 200 new jobs. The airline's transatlantic capacity will increase by 24% in 2014, after 13% additional capacity in its transatlantic schedule this year.

The airline said it is launching a year round route between Dublin and San Francisco from next April, with five flights a week using an Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

Aer Lingus also said it will start a new daily year-round service from Dublin to Toronto from April 2014 and up to four times weekly during the winter season using Boeing 757-200 aircraft.

Two Boeing B757-200 aircraft will be based in Shannon to operate year-round increased frequencies to Boston from January 2014 and New York JFK from March 2014.

To support the operation of the new routes, Aer Lingus will wet lease three Boeing 757 aircraft from ASL Aviation Group. The aircraft will be configured with an economy and business class cabin.

This growth plan will bring the Aer Lingus long haul schedule to 10 daily transatlantic services, connecting Ireland and Europe with cities throughout North America, further strengthening Dublin Airport as an Transatlantic hub.

Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Muller said "Our transatlantic business goes from strength to strength. This expansion is extremely positive news for Aer Lingus and for the broader economy in terms of business, tourism and employment. Our transatlantic capacity will increase by 24% in 2014, following on from the 13% additional capacity in our 2013 transatlantic schedule.

Our operation of the San Francisco route will strengthen Ireland’s ties with Silicon Valley and encourage Ireland’s development as a technology hub for Europe. San Francisco’s Silicon Valley is home to many of the world’s largest technology companies and several of these companies have European headquarters in Dublin.

Toronto is the sixth biggest North American market out of Ireland. In addition to being a great tourist destination, the city is home to a large Irish community and we look forward to welcoming them on board.

We are confident that the increased number of flights from Shannon to New York and Boston will bring additional tourists to the Western region. The increased frequency opens up additional connectivity to almost 40 cities in North America with our airline partners.

Very importantly, this expansion will directly support more than 200 jobs within Aer Lingus and our partner airline ASL Aviation Group."

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 3rd July 2013 All Rights Reserved.