*Pictured at Shannon Airport is the newAer Lingus A321neo LR aircraft receiving a water cannon salute . Pic Arthur Ellis.
Shannon Airport has received positive news on the double with a new aircraft launched and the early return of its New York JFK service while management declared 2020 will see the biggest percentage increase in Aer Lingus seats there in over three decades.
On Thursday morning, the Shannon to New York service recommended, a month earlier than previous years. It will operate six days a week, rising to seven days a week in the peak summer months, all the way through to the end of the year.
Passengers will also now avail of the new state-of-the-art A321neo LR aircraft on this route, which comes complete with additional business class capacity. This is the second such Aer Lingus aircraft to arrive at Shannon, the first was delivered last October and has been operating on its Boston service, Thursday marked the first day in which the two aircraft were both positioned on the ground at Shannon.
Aer Lingus has already announced new routes from Shannon Airport to Paris and Barcelona, subsequently their capacity will grow by twenty percent. As a result, 2020 will see the largest percentage increase in the number of Aer Lingus seats in over 30 years at Shannon Airport.
CEO of Shannon Group, Mary Considine described it is “a significant day”. She stated, “This is a major investment and vote of confidence by Aer Lingus in Shannon Airport and the transatlantic connectivity it provides between New York and the West of Ireland is very important for our region.
“It is a major contribution to the business community as it gives them onward connections to the global marketplace. In addition, it supports inbound tourism, giving US visitors access to the Wild Atlantic Way through the Shannon Airport gateway. We are delighted that Aer Lingus is also commencing new services to two hugely important European airports, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Barcelona. This brings the airlines network at Shannon Airport up to nine routes for summer 2020.”
Donal Moriarty, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer with Aer Lingus commented, “We are delighted to demonstrate our continued commitment to Shannon Airport and the wider region. The A321LR NEO is the next generation narrow body aircraft and will enable us continue to grow our service across the North Atlantic. In addition to being a very comfortable plane on which to travel, the Airbus 321NEO LR aircraft are 20% more fuel-efficient than existing aircraft and have 50% reduced engine noise versus the A321 CEO. Their delivery forms a core part of Aer Lingus’ environmental objectives.”
Managing Director of Shannon Airport, Andrew Murphy said, “Aer Lingus has been an excellent partner of the airport over the years. The fact that this year it will have its biggest capacity increase at Shannon in 30 years reflects the commitment they have to our region. It’s a very positive commitment to Shannon and our passengers.”
