The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
THE first Aer Lingus flight from Shannon to London in 18 months took off from the Clare airport this afternoon.
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.
Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said it was great to see the service back in what has been and continues to be an extremely difficult period for the aviation sector.
“The connectivity provided by Aer Lingus at Shannon has always been a valuable contributor to the regional economy,” said Ms Considine.
“The hub status of Heathrow for businesses to connect with the global marketplace is crucial, and the inbound Heathrow service helps drive tourism into the region.”
“We are working closely with Aer Lingus and our other airline partners to build on the service and to resume long-haul services,” she added.
Question is, where are 3 Heathrow slots a day gone? They were Shannon’s & the Western seaboard’s links to Heathrow. What has @AerLingus done with the bridge that linked Shannon Heathrow? The slots are economically essential. Have they relocated them? Sold them?
Via @SeanFionn https://t.co/cW68sWxFLM— Declan Ganley (@declanganley) September 13, 2021
Commenting on the general outlook at Shannon Ms Considine said: “With the Heathrow service now up and running, and our new Luton service due to begin operation at the end of October, we have services to all four of the largest London airports.
“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.”
