by Bernie English bernie@limerickpost.ie
SHANNON airport has welcomed the announcement that Delta Airlines is to significantly expand passenger capacity on its JFK service. A statement of behalf of the board said: “The announcement of the introduction of the larger wide-bodied Boeing 767-300 aircraft on Delta Air Lines’ JFK service summer service is a further endorsement of the growing demand for transatlantic seats into Shannon Airport and the popularity of the airport’s US pre-clearance facilities”. To cater for the increased demand, the airline will next summer operate the larger Boeing 767-300 aircraft on the service, resulting in a 25% increase in capacity, or 17,000 additional seats.
Welcoming the announcement, Neil Pakey, CEO, Shannon Group plc said, “Transatlantic services at Shannon have grown year on year since the airport was made independent in 2013 and this latest boost by Delta is further evidence of the strength of that market. As the biggest airline in the world in terms of passenger numbers, Delta’s expansion of their Shanon service to their JFK hub provides further opportunity for global connectivity.
“This is excellent news for passengers from this region who want to fly to JFK and beyond but is also excellent news again for the tourism industry here. There has been a considerable transatlantic market rebound generally over recent years but there is a particular demand for services directly into the west of Ireland through Shannon and we are delighted to be able to facilitate this through airline partners such as Delta.
“We have a unique tourism product here along the west and south of Ireland and its essential that we have these services to satisfy growing tourism demand. The Wild Atlantic Way has been a stroke of genius for the tourism industry in Ireland and we expect that demand will continue to rise the more people are made aware of all the Wild Atlantic Way has to offer.”
Meanwhile, Tourism Ireland warmly welcomed the announcement by Delta Air Lines. It will mean a 25% plus increase in capacity, or 17,000 additional seats. Delta will also add capacity on its JFK to Dublin service from the end of October; and on its Atlanta to Dublin service from the end of May 2016.
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “The announcement by Delta Air Lines to increase capacity on its routes to Shannon and Dublin is more good news for tourism. We already work very closely with Delta and we look forward to continuing to co-operate with them to maximise the promotion of their flights from the US to Ireland. As an island, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated – they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in visitor numbers.
