Aer Lingus announced its largest ever transatlantic summer schedule for 2026 as well as further expansion of its long-haul network with the introduction of a new direct service from Dublin to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina, next year.
Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton, said: “We’re delighted to be adding Raleigh-Durham International Airport to our growing North American network. It’s a vibrant and thriving region with well-established links to Ireland, that will be further strengthened with our new direct service. In addition to new this new route, our 2026 plans reflect another year of growth with increased frequency on our established network, and more choice for our customers. We’ll be serving 26 destinations across North America in 2026, reinforcing Aer Lingus as a popular choice for North Atlantic travel. We’re planning more frequency to popular new destinations Nashville and Indianapolis which launched earlier this year, as well as strengthening our schedule to cities already well established on our network, such as New York, Boston and Orlando.”
Aer Lingus will ramp up its North American network next summer with a significant capacity boost, including a third daily flight from Dublin (DUB) to both New York JFK and Boston (BOS). The new services will feature late evening departures from Dublin and late-night returns from the U.S.
Following strong demand, new routes launched this year from Dublin to Nashville (BNA) and Indianapolis (IND) will each increase from four to five weekly flights. Dublin–Orlando (MCO) goes daily at peak, while Cleveland (CLE) increases to six weekly services.
The carrier will continue daily flights from Dublin to Hartford (BDL), Minneapolis (MSP), Philadelphia (PHL), and Toronto (YYZ). Shannon–Boston (BOS) sees a notable increase, rising to ten weekly flights during the summer peak.
Aer Lingus will deploy 27 aircraft across its transatlantic operations in summer 2026, including 8 A321LRs, 6 A321XLRs, 10 A330-300s, and 3 A330-200s. The expanded fleet will support a 26-route North American network from Dublin and Shannon.
Image Credit: Aer Lingus
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