The strength of tourism across the regions will be emphasised on Sunday next when Shannon Airport operates its largest number of transatlantic destinations in 17 years with the commencement of two Norwegian Air International services.
Two weekly flights to Stewart International Airport, Orange County – just 90 minutes from New York – and two weekly flights to Providence Green Airport, Rhode Island will be added to the already strong Shannon US schedule.
The new services create an unprecedented line-up to the USA from Shannon Airport, with five airlines serving seven destinations.
Looking ahead to the commencement of the new services on Sunday, Shannon Group CEO Matthew Thomas said: “This is a remarkable day in many respects. It heralds another new carrier at Shannon and what’s most notable here is that Norwegian Air International, a new transatlantic operator, not only chose Shannon but is introducing the second largest number of flights at any airport here. That clearly demonstrates the strength of the market for Shannon transatlantic services.
“Beyond that, the range of Shannon’s US flights is striking. We will now have seven destinations on our programme to the US. There is no other European airport of our size with anything comparable to our level of US connectivity. These services, combined with our passenger friendly US pre-clearance facilities, mean that our customers arrive stateside as domestic passenger.”
Shannon Airport Managing Director Andrew Murphy added, “This speaks volumes again about the US market for the west and south of Ireland. With the success of the Wild Atlantic Way, in particular, it reaffirms Shannon’s position as the premier access for what is fast becoming a global tourism phenomenon. That’s a proud piece for us as we know the huge effort that has gone into making the tourism offering across the Wild Atlantic Way, from Cork right up to Donegal, a world-class product.
“We’ve worked hard to support that and Sunday next is another breakthrough in that regard for Shannon and the region. It’s up to us all, the airline, ourselves, the tourism agencies and the public now to make this and our other transatlantic services a success for the betterment of the region.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.