Shannon Airport’s resurgence was further evidenced today as the flag of the largest airline in the world, American Airlines, returned to its runway for the first time in eight years with the resumption of the summer season Philadelphia service.
The daily service, which operated at Shannon since its return in 2013 under the US Airways brand following its merger with American Airlines, will this year have a 58% increase in capacity as the airline looks to build on the growing demand for flights between Shannon and its Philadelphia hub.
This year the service will operate daily from today until mid-October, delivering an additional 114 flights in comparison to last year.
Welcoming the return of the service again this summer and the American Airlines flag, Head of Aviation Development at Shannon Airport Declan Power said, “The summer season is getting into full swing today as we also welcome the return of Delta Air Lines daily service to New York last weekend. This year we are also celebrating the 70th anniversary of the first commercial transatlantic flight to Ireland which was operated by American Overseas Airlines, which was a forerunner to American Airlines, so the timing could not have been better.
“At a practical level, we will have 114 additional flights between Shannon and Philadelphia this year and this will generate a lot more American tourists which is further proof of the market demand for Shannon as a gateway to Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way.
“There is also a strong outbound demand for the service, not least given the huge volume of onward connections from Philadelphia, which is an American Airlines hub. Philadelphia, in its own right, is a very popular destination for tourism given its historical significance in the US and it also has a very strong Irish community so we are very confident about this service.”
