*Photograph: Lorenzo Giacobbo
Shannon Airport has received another transatlantic lift with American Airlines to resume services in May.
American Airlines has already began selling tickets for the resumption of its service from Shannon to Philadelphia which operated between May and October each year until the onset of COVID-19.
They will do so while using a larger aircraft and the presence of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will mark the first time an airline uses the aircraft on a route to North America from Shannon.
A spokesperson for Shannon Group outlined “constant discussions” with American Airlines and “all our airlines partners” has occurred on the resumption of transatlantic services for 2022.
“We know it will take a number of years for aviation to recover to pre-pandemic levels, but with 18 Ryanair winter services secured to Spain, Italy, Hungary, the UK, and Scotland, six of which are new routes, and the Shannon/Heathrow service, we are pleased with what has been achieved to-date for Shannon Airport,” the spokesperson added.
This development plus the already confirmed return of United Airlines has been welcomed by the collective Chambers of Commerce of Shannon, Ennis, Galway and Limerick and the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF). “The return of connectivity to such accessible airports as Newark and Philadelphia, and the onward linkages they offer, will be widely welcomed by the many business in the region and by the tourism and hospitality sector, and signal the commencement of linkages with a critical market for both sectors.
“Pre-pandemic, Shannon Airport had always punched above its weight in terms of the transatlantic services that it operated and was the envy of many larger cites in Europe with little or no transatlantic connectivity. This is down to the team at Shannon Airport who work consistently with the airlines. Shannon’s transatlantic services were well supported in the past and it is important now for people in the region to get behind United’s and American Airlines’ Shannon routes to ensure their success; this will give confidence to other transatlantic operators to return. These popular routes provided important transatlantic air connectivity for people and businesses in the Mid-West and along the west coast of Ireland prior to the pandemic; we look forward to seeing a high take-up on both services when they return,” the statement added.
