Aer Lingus have launched a new Boeing 757 service flying direct from Shannon airport, in the west of Ireland, to Boston’s Logan airport. The launch marks the beginning of a major expansion for the airline’s transatlantic rounds including flights to San Francisco and Toronto, as well as their current scheduled flights.

As well as announcing the daily, year-round Boston-Shannon service Aer Lingus also announced that as of March 30, 2014 the Irish airline would provide a year-round service from New York to the west of Ireland hub.

Shannon Airport said the increased transatlantic services will build on the strong momentum achieved last year, during the Gathering Ireland 2013, when passenger numbers on US services at Shannon grew steadily, in what was the airport’s first year as an independent entity.

At the launch Shannon Airport CEO Neil Pakey said, “This new daily Boston service is very much driven by the market, with significant demand, in particular, from the business community due to the very significant presence in the west and south of Ireland of Massachusetts based US multi-nationals such as Boston Scientific and EMC.  This is supplemented by a very strong inbound and outbound tourism market thanks to the incredible ties between this region and both Boston and New York.”

In 2014 Aer Lingus will operate 13 weekly transatlantic flights, compared to seven last year, which represents a 24 percent increase in capacity on the transatlantic routes.

The increased frequency significantly enhances Shannon's connectivity to almost 40 cities in North America through Aer Lingus’ partner airline, Jetblue Airways, allowing passengers to connect to cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Washington, Orlando, and Dallas.

Aer Lingus Chief Executive, Christoph Mueller said, “This is a significant day for Aer Lingus and for our team at Shannon Airport. Today’s flight marks the beginning of our major transatlantic expansion in 2014. We are confident that the increased number of flights from Shannon to New York and Boston will bring additional tourists to the western region and further support the strong international trade links between the region and the United States.”

Shannon Airport Chairman Rose Hynes said, “We have a transatlantic catchment at Shannon that goes from Cork right up to the North-West.  Within that region there is very significant demand for both business and tourism connections into both Boston and New York.

“This is the first time since 2009 that Aer Lingus will have operated year-round daily services from Shannon, which is a further reflection of the growth path that the airport is now on.”

Flying transatlantic from Shannon has the added bonus of pre-clearing US customs, immigration and agriculture on the Irish side, saving passengers considerable time on arrival in the US.  That service was launched in 2009 and made Shannon the first airport outside the North Americas to have US pre-clearance.