An estimated 40,000 Americans crossed the Atlantic for Week – Zero the opening game of the 2023 college football season which took place at the weekend at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
As title sponsor Aer Lingus was responsible for transporting the teams and their delegations to Dublin on dedicated chartered flights. This year the airline also supported the travel of Notre Dame’s cheerleaders and marching band who created a huge spectacle for fans at the pep rallies that took place around the city as well as the game itself. Aer Lingus carried almost 1,000 passengers on board from the US to Dublin on the three chartered flights alone; one flight operating from South Bend in Indiana for Notre Dame’s players and coaching staff, one flight from Chicago for Notre Dame’s cheer team and band and one flight from Washington D.C for the Navy players.
The coordination of three charter flights was a huge logistical operation and required significant pre-planning across many teams both stateside and in Ireland. Notre Dame flew out of South Bend in Indiana which isn’t an airport Aer Lingus typically operates from. To make this happen an Aer Lingus team on the ground in the US made several site visits to South Bend to ensure the airport could accommodate a large long-haul aircraft like the Airbus A330 which operated the Notre Dame Team flight from there. Aer Lingus also transported 17 tonnes of cargo in advance of the teams’ arrival to have in place in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin for their pre-game training.
Lynne Embleton, Aer Lingus Chief Executive said: “We play a unique and special role in making the Aer Lingus College Football Classic happen, not just as title sponsor but in flying the teams and the many thousands of US visitors travelling to Ireland for the event. This year’s game will see the single largest-ever movement of US citizens internationally for a sporting event which is a significant milestone and represents a huge opportunity to showcase Ireland as the great destination it is. We extend a warm Aer Lingus [welcome] to all those travelling to Ireland for the game.”
Other arrivals included an unprecedented number of executive jets at Dublin Airport and a courtesy visit to Dublin Port by the USS Mesa Verde, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock vessel. Next year will see the third game of the Aer Lingus College Football Series take place with Georgia Tech vs Florida State in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on Saturday, 24th August 2024.
