This afternoon the inaugural Aer Lingus flight EIN916, operated by an Airbus A320, registered EI-DEK msn 2399 touching down at 12:44pm at Ireland West Airport from Heathrow Airport. Aer Lingus will operate daily flights to London Heathrow on a year-round basis.
This new service is another milestone in IWAK’s history as it’s the first time the airport will be connected to one of Europe’s major international airport hubs, London’s biggest and most well-connected airport, on a year-round basis.
The new route will boost inbound tourism to the West of Ireland given the proximity of Ireland West Airport to the Wild Atlantic Way and the huge spotlight on the west of Ireland following the box-office hit The Banshees of Inisherin.
Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton said “The west of Ireland has so much to offer as a tourist destination with the Wild Atlantic Way and most recently as the filming location for Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin. Our new Ireland West Airport-Heathrow service is an exciting new route, bringing travellers from Great Britain right to the heart of the action in the west of Ireland. Equally customers from the west of Ireland will now fly into the UK’s largest airport and have the opportunity to travel onwards to cities all over the world.”
Ireland West Airport Chairman Arthur French said “This is another proud day for the airport and the entire Western region as we commence our new daily service to Heathrow with Aer Lingus. The hub status of Heathrow for business and leisure passengers to connect with the global marketplace is a major boost for this region, as this service opens up key onward connectivity, through one of Europe’s biggest hubs, to over 80 destinations worldwide. From a tourism perspective the service will deliver a significant increase in tourist visits from all corners of the globe.
We thank Aer Lingus for their continued support and their vote of confidence in the airport. It is critically important now that the new service attracts the full support of the region and the business community in particular, as it will require an even greater effort on all our behalf’s to ensure the route is a success and continues to grow in the longer term.”
EIN915 departs London Heathrow 1105 arrives Ireland West Airport 1235
EIN916 departs Ireland West Airport 1305 arrives London Heathrow 1430
Image Credit: Aer Lingus
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 26 March 2023 All Rights Reserved
