New Aer Lingus Shannon-Paris route 'a significant step' for West
The launch of a new route between Shannon Airport and Paris will strengthen links between the west of Ireland and every major destination around the globe, it was claimed today.
Aer Lingus will operate the three times a week service to France’s main air hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle from December 17.
Director of Shannon Airport director, Martin Moroney, said it will connect passengers to non-stop routes to more than 200 destinations.
“Along with our existing Aer Lingus services to Heathrow, this ensures that Shannon now has outstanding onward connectivity to all major destinations across the globe,” he said.
The new service follows Ryanair’s announcement last month that it was scrapping its Shannon to Paris Beauvais route at the end of this month.
Brian O’Connell, Shannon Airport Authority chairman, said the Aer Lingus route was a boost for the entire west of Ireland.
“Paris-Charles de Gaulle offers very significant options for inbound and outbound business and tourism travellers alike and this announcement is a very significant step forward for not just the airport, but for the region as a whole,” he said.
Separately, Ryanair said it was to cut flights to and from Frankfurt Hahn airport by some 30% resulting in the loss of up to 1,000 jobs, including 150 pilot and cabin crew positions.
Services between Hahn and Dublin and Kerry are unaffected but flight frequencies to the German base from Stansted and Edinburgh airports will be hit.
The budget airliner blamed the cuts, to take effect from next summer, on the German government’s new €8 tourist tax.
Nine routes from Hahn are being axed including to Berlin, Prague and Gothenburg.
Also, from next summer Ryanair will reduce its Hahn-based fleet of aircraft from 11 planes to eight.
Overall, the cutbacks will mean the carrier will handle one million fewer passengers a year at the German airport.
Ryanair’s Michael Cawley said today: “The German government’s €8 tourist tax will do significant damage to traffic and tourism in Germany next year.
“Ryanair will move three aircraft to our bases outside Germany which welcome tourists instead of taxing them.
“We urge the German government to look again at the damaging impact of tourist taxes in Ireland and the UK before implementing this tourist tax which will lead to similar declines in traffic and jobs at German airports.”
