THE Shannon Group CEO has called for the public to use and support Aer Lingus’ Heathrow service from Clare’s airport as much as possible to ensure the route’s long-term future.

Mary Considine was speaking this Wednesday ahead of the return of the Aer Lingus London Heathrow service to Shannon Airport on September 13.

“It is great to see the Heathrow service return to Shannon in what has been, and continues to be, an extremely difficult period for the aviation sector,” said Ms Considine.

“We will be working closely with Aer Lingus to build the service and to resume long-haul services, however, airlines make decisions on routes based on a number of factors, one of the most important of which is how many passengers will travel on their flight.

“The best way to ensure the Heathrow service and indeed other routes, remain for the long term is for people to support them.

“We have already seen encouraging up-take for the range of 18 air services we have launched since the lifting of travel restrictions.”

From September 13 the service will operate seven days a week departing Shannon at 17:00 daily. Arrival times from London into Shannon are 16:10 on Monday through Friday and Sunday, with arrival time on Saturdays scheduled for 15:45.

The service will operate for ten weeks during the closure of Cork Airport for runway upgrade works.

Aer Lingus will operate an A321LR aircraft six out of seven days on the Shannon to Heathrow route, the newest, most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly member of their fleet, with 16 dedicated business class seats. On Mondays an A320 aircraft will provide the service.

The Shannon to Heathrow service was withdrawn as a result of the pandemic. Prior to this the service had been popular, particularly for business travellers, due to Heathrow’s hub status and onward connections to international marketplaces across the globe.

Commenting on the general outlook at Shannon Ms Considine said: “With Heathrow starting on September 13, our new Luton service due to begin operation at the end of October and our existing Stansted and Gatwick services, we have the best connectivity to London airports since 2009 when we last had services to all four of the largest London airports.

“We have significant Covid-19 safety measures in place and our passengers can be confident when they choose to fly Shannon that we are focused on making their journey through the airport an easy and enjoyable experience.”

“We would like to thank our customers for their loyalty and ask them for their continued support as we navigate our way back to recovery and growth which will take some time yet.”