Dublin Airport welcomes today’s announcement by Aer Lingus that it will launch a new direct transatlantic service to Philadelphia next year.
Aer Lingus will operate its new four times weekly service on a year-round basis from next March. It is planned that the service will operate daily from 2019.
Dublin Airport Managing Director, Vincent Harrison said he was delighted that Aer Lingus is further expanding its transatlantic services from Dublin Airport. “Philadelphia will be Aer Lingus’ 11th transatlantic route from Dublin Airport, offering further choice and flexibility for business and leisure passengers on both sides of the Atlantic,” he added.
“Dublin Airport’s transatlantic traffic has increased by 67% in the past five years and Dublin is now the fifth largest airport in Europe for North American connectivity after Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam,” according to Mr Harrison.
“This new service is great news for Irish business and tourism, as it will further strengthen trade links between Ireland and the United States and help increase trade, tourism and foreign direct investment between the two countries.”
Since 2011, Aer Lingus has added seven new US destinations from Dublin Airport as part of its strategy to significantly grow its North American business at the airport. The new service to Philadelphia will have onward connections from Dublin to 21 other cities including Berlin, Edinburgh, Brussels and Hamburg.
The service to Philadelphia is Dublin Airport’s third new long-haul route for next year, as the airport will also welcome a new route to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific and a new service to Montreal with Air Canada.
Aer Lingus’ new service to Philadelphia will be operated by a 177-seat Boeing 757 aircraft. The route will operate four times per week from March 25 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. It will depart Dublin Airport at 13.50, arriving in Philadelphia at 16.15. The return flight will depart Philadelphia at 17.30, arriving at Dublin at 05.30 the next day.
More than 20 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport in the first eight months of the year, which was a 6% increase on the same period last year.
Dublin Airport is the key gateway to the island of Ireland, as more than two thirds of all air passengers who arrive in Ireland use Dublin Airport. The airport supports and facilitates 117,300 jobs in the Republic of Ireland which contribute a total of €8.3 billion to the Irish economy.
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