Ireland West Airport has welcomed the announcement of the new daily service by Aer Lingus from London Heathrow to Ireland West Airport. The new daily service will begin on Sunday 26th March. This new service will provide a major boost for the airport and the region as it is the first time in the airport’s 37-year history that the airport will be connected to one of Europe’s major international airport hubs. This new service will replace the current daily route between London Gatwick and Ireland West Airport. Passengers currently booked on this service will be offered seats on the new Heathrow service. The new flight will depart from London Heathrow at 11.05 am, and arrive at Ireland West Airport at 12.35 pm. The return service will depart at 13.05 with a 14.30 arrival at Heathrow.
Commenting as the new service to London Heathrow was announced, the Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Aer Lingus, Reid Moody said, “Our new route from Ireland West Airport to London Heathrow, accompanied with further network connectivity for our customers, is exciting for Aer Lingus and for the West of Ireland. As well as direct connectivity to London Heathrow, there are significant onward connections now open to customers to North America and beyond. The service will also drive inbound tourism at a time when interest in visiting the West of Ireland is very high, with the Oscar nominated Banshees of Inisherin showcasing the beauty of the West of Ireland to millions of people globally.”
Also welcoming the news was the Managing Director of Ireland West Airport, Joe Gilmore who added, “The airport is absolutely delighted to welcome today’s announcement of a new daily service to London Heathrow with Aer Lingus. This is a major development for the West and Northwest regions as it opens up key onward connectivity, through one of Europe’s biggest hubs, to over 80 destinations worldwide. The hub status of Heathrow for business and leisure passengers to connect with the global marketplace is a potential game changer for this region, and from a tourism perspective, the service will deliver a significant increase in tourism visits from all corners of the globe. In addition, through their codeshare partnerships, this new service will see the return of US services to the West as it provides the option to book flights on the Aer Lingus website, from Ireland West Airport via Heathrow, to key North American destinations such as Boston, New York, Washington, and Los Angeles as well as further onward connections with their codeshare partners such as British Airways, to a host of global destinations. I have no doubt this new service will attract strong support from the region and overseas and we thank reflects Aer Lingus for their strong show of commitment to the airport and West of Ireland region.”
The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers TD, welcoming the new service said, “This is a very welcome development both for Ireland West Airport and the region. While Heathrow will undoubtedly be a very useful destination for those traveling to London, the benefits that this link brings are beyond that. In particular, it unlocks further connectivity for users of the service both to onward destinations and to new visitors from across the globe. A daily connection to a global hub such as this has the potential to build new and exciting linkages in not just tourism but across trade to and from the region. The past few years have seen significant pressure on our airports due to the much reduced traffic caused by the pandemic. Government has not been found wanting in providing support. Since the onset of COVID-19, exchequer funding amounting to €12.3m was provided to Ireland West Airport. However, enhancements such as the one announced today are really important signs that air travel is entering into a much-needed period of recovery. Ireland West Airport is one of the airports at the forefront of this recovery and in 2022 passenger numbers recovered to 89% of pre-COVID-19 levels. That is a testament to the hard work of the management and team at the airport, and their airline partners. I wish Ireland West Airport and Aer Lingus every success in the launch of this new service.”
