Aer Lingus Commences Direct Flights From Minneapolis – St. Paul to Dublin
Today, Aer Lingus, the flag carrier airline of Ireland, commences the much anticipated route between Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN and Dublin, Ireland. The exciting new route marks a mutually beneficial partnership to further enhance and strengthen economic and cultural ties on both sides of the Atlantic.
The new Minneapolis – St. Paul - Dublin service will initially operate six times weekly, and by August will increase to a daily, year-round service with up to 2,478 roundtrip seats available each week. In addition to providing a direct connection between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Ireland, leveraging Dublin’s position as a hub airport has enabled Aer Lingus to connect North American travelers to 23 UK and European airports including Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Manchester and Edinburgh, among others. The US Immigration pre-clearance facility at Dublin enables seamless connections via Ireland’s capital. On today’s inaugural flight to Dublin, 39% of travelling guests will connect onwards at Dublin Airport with the highest number travelling to London.
Marking Aer Lingus’ inaugural service to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Sean Doyle CEO said “We are delighted to commence Ireland’s first and only direct service to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota State. The Minneapolis-St. Paul region holds great promise for Aer Lingus particularly in terms of the connections we can offer to UK and European guests as well as those travelling from North America and onwards to Europe.
As a destination there is both business and leisure appeal and we’re delighted to report that we are geared up for a busy summer.”
Flight EI089 operated by an Airbus 757 aircraft (to be operated by A321neo LR by 2020) carrying the registration EI-LBR and named Saint Odhrán, will touch down at MSP Airport this afternoon at 4:55 P.M.. The flight will be welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute and celebration at the gate featuring a ribbon cutting ceremony with Irish dancers and uniformed brand ambassadors. At the same time, a watch party at the InterContinental Hotel will be attended by influencers, media and MSP executives to unite the community.
Aer Lingus adds to MSP’s growing access and international reach available to businesses and tourists alike. Noted among North America’s fasted growing tech hubs, the city is home to multiple Fortune 500 company headquarters, including popular chain stores Target and General Mills as well as 3M and SuperValu. Minneapolis is the number one tourist destination in the entire Midwest, attracting over 40 million visitors each year and a record -breaking number of Americans also travel abroad each year with Europe being one of the most popular destinations.
"The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) is very pleased to welcome Aer Lingus to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) Airport," said Brian Ryks, executive director and CEO of the MAC, which owns and operates MSP Airport. "This is our first ever direct, non-stop service to Dublin from MSP, so this is a historic day for us. We anticipate it will be a popular route with both business and leisure travelers."
Fares from MSP to Dublin start at $619 roundtrip and connecting flights to Amsterdam and select cities start from $659* For more information, please visit www.aerlingus.com.