Courtesy: Dublin Airport Authority 

Dublin Airport will have an extra 700,000 airline seats this summer, with overall summer capacity up 4% this year, according to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

The transatlantic market will see the greatest expansion at Dublin Airport this summer, as all of the airlines serving Dublin from the United States and Canada are adding capacity. Overall, there will be an extra 200,000 seats on North American routes during the summer, which is a 17% increase compared to last year.

The addition of American Airlines’ new daily service to New York JFK, which commences on 13th June  means that Dublin Airport will have 15 direct scheduled services to North America this year. In total, there will be 224 flights per week between Dublin Airport and North America during the summer season underscoring the airport’s strong connectivity to Canada and the United States.

This summer, Dublin Airport passengers can choose from new European destinations such as Bologna, Bremen, Brest, Corfu, Helsinki, Oxford, and Zadar, with increased frequencies to Istanbul, Madrid, Paris, and Zurich.

This summer will also see further growth on flights to the Middle East as with Etihad Airways increasing its weekly capacity to Abu Dhabi by 34% from 2nd July with the introduction of the Boeing 777-300ER on the route.

DAA Chief Operations Officer Robert Hilliard said “This is a significant increase in available seats for the summer months at Dublin Airport. The growth in available seats and flight numbers is positive news for both leisure and business travellers, as it provides additional choice and flexibility for passengers.

North America is a key market for Ireland, as we are the largest recipient of US foreign direct investment and Irish firms are huge investors in the US. Both the United States and Canada are also important sources of inbound tourism so it’s also pleasing to see a strong growth in seat numbers from North America in 2013 as we celebrate The Gathering.”

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 11th April 2013 All Rights Reserved.