New services take off from Shannon

NEW services from Shannon to Gatwick and Edinburgh began this week. On Sunday, a new Aer Lingus Shannon-Gatwick service began while on the same day, an Aer Lingus Regional service, which is operated by Aer Arann, to Edinburgh also started.

To mark the occasions, all passengers travelling on the first flights to Gatwick and Edinburgh received a complimentary breakfast reception in the departure area prior to boarding. In addition, Shannon Airport presented the captains of the two flights with customised pieces of crystal.
Aer Lingus will operate the new Gatwick service daily. The Aer Lingus Regional service to Edinburgh will operate five days a week. It is the fifth Aer Lingus Regional service from Shannon.
After the departure of the first flight to Edinburgh, Andrew Kelly, director of corporate affairs with Aer Arann, said, “This is the fifth Aer Lingus Regional route from Shannon to launch in under 12 months, which further demonstrates our commitment to the Shannon region.”
Aer Lingus director of communications Declan Kearney said access to the UK was improving. “The expansion of our route network at Shannon with daily services to London Gatwick and a new service to Edinburgh will enable us to better serve the UK market.
“The new daily service between Shannon and Gatwick provides Aer Lingus customers with the first early morning flight from London to the Shannon region. It will complement the existing London-Heathrow service, which operates three times daily, broadening the choice for business and leisure travellers in and out of the Mid-West region,” he added.
Also welcoming the commencement of the new routes, Shannon Airport director Mary Considine said they would be important additions to Shannon’s network.
“We are looking forward to the uplift in traffic from our summer schedule and the new Edinburgh and Gatwick services will certainly play a strong role in that regard. Our goal is to provide a sustainable network of attractive services for passengers at Shannon Airport and today is another significant step in that direction,” she said.
Shannon’s Aer Lingus Regional summer schedule also commenced last Sunday. It includes additional flights to Manchester on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. The Birmingham service will now move to a more business friendly slot, while the Shannon-Glasgow route is now operating three times per week.
Aer Lingus has also resumed services to New York and Boston from Shannon, after cancelling both from January 5 to March 27.