Aer Lingus welcomed members of Paralympics Ireland on board as they departed Dublin, bound for their training camp in Portugal ahead of representing Ireland on the global stage in Paris later this month.
The Ireland Paralympic Cycling and Triathlon teams embarked on the first stage of their journey on Wednesday, August 7 as they departed from Dublin for Portugal where they will finalize their preparation, before joining the rest of Team Ireland in France in the coming weeks.
An Irish Goodbye!
A huge thank you to Aer Lingus the official airline partner of Paralympics Ireland who gave our athletes a brilliant send off from Dublin Airport this afternoon.
T-21 days!#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 | #TheNextLevel | #HomeAdvantage pic.twitter.com/ZyIupUQnbS
— Paralympics Ireland (@ParalympicsIRE) August 7, 2024
Family, friends, and Aer Lingus staff were on hand to welcome the Team Ireland athletes to the Aer Lingus Check-In on Wednesday and give them a good send-off.
Athletes including Katie George Dunlevy, Josephine Healion, Damien Vereker, Martin Gordon, Ronan Grimes, Richael Timothy, Eve McCrystal, Linda Kelly, Eoin Mullen and Mitchell McLaughlin (cycling) and Cassie Cava, Judith MacCombe, Chloe MacCombe, Catherine Sands and Eimear Nicholls (triathlon) along with their coaches, medical staff, and Paralympics Ireland management boarded the flight.
Bon voyage! Great buzz in T2 this afternoon as Ireland’s Paralympic team jetted off to France for the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris. 🥇🥈🥉
Best of luck to all of the athletes! @ParalympicsIRE pic.twitter.com/asRkksnBnN
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) August 7, 2024
Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer, said, “Our partnership with Paralympics Ireland is a source of immense pride for Aer Lingus, and we are honoured to play our part in their journey to Paris.
"Since our partnership began back in 2020, we have supported the para-athletes journey to Tokyo and to World Games and training camps in preparation for Paris.
"We are immensely proud of them and wish them all the luck in Paris. We are committed to providing the best possible support to our athletes, coaches, families, and the many Irish supporters who will bring home advantage to Paris.”
Stephen McNamara, CEO of Paralympics Ireland, added: “The excitement within the Irish Paralympic community is palpable as we head to Paris. Comfortable and dependable travel is essential for our athletes, and we know that Aer Lingus will provide just that and we are grateful for their support.
"As we wave our athletes off, we send with them our best wishes as they fulfil their lifelong ambition to represent their country, communities, and families on the global stage.”
Aer Lingus, the official airline partner of Paralympics Ireland, will bring #HomeAdvantage to Paris by transporting the athletes and coaching staff, as well as thousands of supporters from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, and Belfast airports throughout the competition.
Aer Lingus previously supported Team Ireland’s journey to Tokyo and since then, has transported Irish para-athletes to World and European Games across Europe in the lead-up to qualification for Paris.
35 athletes are set to represent Ireland across nine sports at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which this year run from Wednesday, August 28 through Sunday, September 8.
After their respective training camps, Team Ireland will assemble in the Athlete's Village ahead of the Opening Ceremony on August 27 at the Place de la Concorde.
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