Oct. 12—Irish airline Aer Lingus is expanding its nonstop service schedule from Bradley International Airport to Dublin beyond its current summer schedule, officials with the Connecticut Airport Authority announced Thursday.

Aer Lingus resumed service to the Windsor Locks-based airport in March after a three-year absence. It was the carrier's first flight from Bradley to the Irish capital since March 2020, when the route was suspended at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, Aer Lingus officials had said the airline would operate the route daily through the end of October.

Jim Watson, a spokesman for the state's Department of Economic and Community Development, said under the original agreement that brought Aer Lingus to Bradley, the state is continuing grants that the airline receives if it fails to meet certain revenue targets for the route. When Aer Lingus had resumed the route in March after the hiatus period, the airline had received a total of about $11.9 million in grants for revenue guarantees, according to DECD data.

Watson said those grants will continue through 2024 with money left over from the original amount that was set aside when Aer Lingus began the route during Dannel Malloy's tenure as Connecticut's governor.

"The maximum amount available is $1.365 million," Watson said.

Travelers leaving from Bradley can make connections to up to 28 key airports in England and Europe, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome and Prague.

The new schedule calls for daily flights through Oct. 26, transitioning to flights three times a week from Oct. 28 to Jan. 5. Aer Lingus will not offer any flights for a period from Jan. 6 through March 12 next year, followed by a resumption of three times per week service between March 13 and March 28.

Daily flights from Bradley to Dublin will resume from March 30 through October 2024, according to CAA officials. Kevin A. Dillon, the Airport Authority's executive director, said in a statement that agency officials "are thrilled that our passengers will now continue to have more opportunities to experience Aer Lingus' exceptional service and to visit Ireland and beyond."

Reid Moody, Aer Lingus' chief strategy and planning officer said the extension of the airlines nonstop service from Bradley "reflects Aer Lingus' commitment to our North American expansion, as we grow the number of transatlantic routes from our Dublin hub."

"The route is Bradley's only direct service to Europe and continues to perform well," Moody said in a statement.

Dublin Airport, offers U.S. Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance, which means that Bradley- bound passengers will be able to complete all necessary U.S.-entry requirements in Dublin ahead of their departure.

___

(c)2023 the Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, Conn.)

Visit the Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, Conn.) at www.ctpost.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.