New services will give Shannon its biggest number of direct scheduled US flights
Shannon Airport has welcomed the announcement by Norwegian Air International of two new services starting this summer to the US as a major opportunity for tourism and wider business sectors across the west and south of Ireland.
Norwegian Air International will on July 1st commence direct services between Shannon and Stewart International Airport, Orange County – just 90 minutes from New York – and from Providence Green Airport, Rhode Island, 90 minutes from Boston and world-famous locations such as Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
New weekly transatlantic flights from Shannon:
- 2 weekly flights (Wed, Sun) will connect Shannon with Stewart International in New York state, with fares from 69 Euros
- 2 weekly flights (Mon, Fri) will offer connections from Shannon to Providence Airport, serving the greater Boston and New England areas. Fares start from 69 Euros
- Flights are now on sale at norwegian.com
The new services create an unprecedented line-up to the USA, with five airlines, seven destinations and eight services.
Welcoming the announcement, Matthew Thomas, CEO of Shannon Group, which owns and operates Shannon Airport, said: “This is a very significant announcement for Shannon, for the wider region we serve and for transatlantic aviation generally. It not only brings another new carrier to Shannon, giving us our largest number of US services in over 17 years, but it’s introduces a new model of low cost flying for transatlantic aviation.
“Shannon has been at the forefront of so many major global breakthroughs in aviation and this is another. It supports the government’s objectives on balanced regional development. We look forward to working closely with Norwegian Air International in making these services a success.”
Said Andrew Murphy, Shannon Airport Managing Director: “We engaged first with Norwegian Air International on this as far back as 2014 so we are delighted it has finally come to fruition. It reaffirms yet again Shannon Airport’s status and contribution as the premier gateway between this side of the island and the US. We are particularly delighted to be welcoming the 737 MAX aircraft, the newest technology on the transatlantic.
“Stewart International Airport gives us further access to New York, the most popular city for tourism and business travel between Ireland and the US, with the airport less than 90 minutes from Manhattan. There’s also much to do and see in Orange County itself and well worth exploring. Rhode Island has a very strong Irish heritage so that’s a big opportunity for inbound while it is also a hugely popular tourism destination as well and is in reaching distance of Boston.”
Said Shannon Group Chairman Rose Hynes: “We are really looking forward to welcoming Norwegian Air International to Shannon Airport and strengthening our relationship with another new partner. Shannon has been an aviation leader for decades and here we are again, centrally involved in heralding in a new model for transatlantic travel. This will be good for business and tourism here and is particularly timely with the continued success of the Wild Atlantic Way and Shannon’s role as the key international gateway to it.”
Said Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos: “It has long been our ambition to grow our Irish operation with new transatlantic routes but these plans simply wouldn’t have been possible without the significant support we have received throughout Ireland over the last 3 years. We are hugely grateful for this continued support and are delighted to finally unveil our plans to shake up transatlantic travel with ground-breaking fares and never before seen routes in Ireland. The cost of transatlantic travel has been too high for too long so by connecting Irish cities with smaller US airports, we can offer some truly affordable fares, allowing as many people as possible to fly.”
The new transatlantic routes will be operated on brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft – Norwegian is the European launch customer for this state-of-the-art new aircraft, which offers a longer range and greater seat capacity than existing single-aisle aircraft. Passengers will be able to travel in a fresh and modern single-class economy cabin with hot and cold food options available to purchase onboard.
Norwegian is Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier, carrying 30 million yearly passengers to more than 140 global destinations. Norwegian has been voted the Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline for two consecutive years at the renowned SkyTrax Awards, and the Europe’s Best Low-Cost Airline for four consecutive years.
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