Aer Lingus will connect Shannon, in the West of Ireland, to Paris/Charles de Gaulle Airport. The route, starting from September 22, is expected to be operated twice weekly through October, according to the airline’s website.
The short duration of the operations coincides with the 2023 Rugby World Cup, to take place in France from September to October.
Services are expected to be operated by the airline’s Airbus A321LR aircraft, with 16 seats in Business Class and 168 in Economy. Aer Lingus has two of the type based in Shannon, with daily flights to Boston and New York/JFK.
Such flight was added to Cirium’s Diio Mi application latest schedule update this weekend.
Benefitting from the time the aircraft would otherwise spend on the ground, the flight to Paris will also allow Transatlantic passengers to connect towards Paris and vice versa.
This means that, during October, both of the Shannon-based A321LRs will be feeding the Shannon Transatlantic services — the other connecting the Irish airport to London/Heathrow daily. Connections from Paris to Boston and New York via Shannon are also available on the flag carrier’s website.
It is not yet clear if this service will only be operating through only a brief period of time, or if the schedules would eventually be extended through Winter.
The Irish Times had reported, back in March, a route from Cork to Charles de Gaulle would be operated by Aer Lingus during the same period. This, a Cork Airport spokesperson said, would focus on demand for the Rugby World Cup, to take place in France during September and October. It is likely that the flight from Shannon, too, will be aimed at the event.
Shannon Airport, which serves the region of Limerick and Galway, has long benefitted from its geographical position between Europe and North America. The terminal has an existing service to Paris/Orly operated by Vueling, which will be terminated in June.
Aviacionline has contacted — off office hours — Aer Lingus’ press team about the topic; once there is a reply, this article will be updated.
