Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 February 2024
208. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport the expected number of air routes directly between Ireland and North America for 2024; if he will identify these routes and the airlines operating each; if they are seasonal or year-round; which routes are new for 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4942/24]
View answerScheduled air services between a point in Ireland and a point in North America are governed by two separate EU comprehensive air transport agreements, one with the United States and the other with Canada.
The operation of any scheduled air service is a commercial decision for airlines, in consultation with airports and other associated market actors, based on the commercial viability of the route in question and other operational factors. I do not have a role in such decisions.
Scheduled air services are planned around two scheduling periods: summer and winter. The summer period begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Saturday of October. The winter period begins on the last Sunday of October and ends on the last Saturday of March. Traditionally, the summer period is the busiest for airlines and often features the introduction of new routes.
My department operates a process whereby third country airlines make applications for authorisations under the comprehensive air transport agreements. This process is underway for the upcoming summer period, as such it is not yet clear how many transatlantic routes to North American points will be operated in the summer 2024 season.
The table below details the services operated during 2023. Accompanying the references to the airlines are (S) or (S&W), which serve to identify if the route that operated, by the particular airline, was summer only (S) or a year-round service, summer and winter, (S&W).
It is anticipated that a similar offering will be available this summer. In addition, I am aware of announcements made by some airlines regarding new routes they intend to operate in North America in 2024, for example;
• JetBlue announcing new services to Dublin from both New York JFK and Boston Logan, beginning in March of this year,
• Aer Lingus announcing a new service to Denver and the re-launch of a service to Minneapolis Saint Paul, both from Dublin, and
• Delta Air Lines re-launching a service between Shannon and New York JFK, last operated in 2019, to begin in May.
|
Route |
Airline(s) |
|
Dublin - Boston Logan |
Delta Air Lines (S&W) and Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Charlotte Douglas |
American Airlines (S) |
|
Dublin - Chicago O'Hare |
American Airlines (S), United Airlines (S), and Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Cleveland |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Dallas Fort Worth |
American Airlines (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Hartford Bradley |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta |
Delta Air Lines (S) |
|
Dublin - Los Angeles |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Miami |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - New York JFK |
Delta Air Lines (S&W) and Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - New York Newark Liberty |
United Airlines (S&W) and Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Orlando |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Philadelphia |
American Airlines (S&W) and Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - San Francisco |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Seattle Tacoma |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Washington Dulles |
United Airlines (S&W) and Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Calgary |
WestJet Airlines (S) |
|
Dublin - Montreal |
Air Canada (S) |
|
Dublin - Toronto Pearson |
Air Canada (S&W), Air Transat (S), and Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Dublin - Vancouver |
Air Canada (S) |
|
Shannon - Boston Logan |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Shannon - Chicago O'Hare |
United Airlines (S) |
|
Shannon - New York JFK |
Aer Lingus (S&W) |
|
Shannon - New York Newark Liberty |
United Airlines (S) |
