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DALLAS — Irish flag carrier, Aer Lingus (EI) has published its latest financial results, showing off the great evolution of the airline's presence in the transatlantic travel market. The largest airline in Ireland also announced the opening of a new route from Dublin (DUB) to Cleveland (CLE).
The launch of flights to Ohio's second-largest city expands the carrier's sphere of influence, locking the number of destinations across the Atlantic Ocean to 19 cities, tripling the airline's transatlantic reach in just a decade.
Lynne Embleton, CEO of EI, said, "The addition of the new Cleveland route is a further demonstration of Aer Lingus’ commitment to developing Dublin as a hub, a key part of the airline’s growth strategy. At Aer Lingus, we are seeing a 20% increase in transatlantic bookings, which is being met by our largest ever transatlantic schedule, delivering over 2.25 million seats this summer."
The new connection to Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport (CLE), which began operations on May 19, 2023, takes advantage of EI's latest deliveries of the Airbus A321LR, which is capable of carrying just 184 passengers in a two-class layout and is perfect for flying long-haul routes with skinny demand.
Aer Lingus' Transatlantic Position
The national airline of Ireland has been granted a privilege since its foundation in 1936, as its main base at DUB is geographically positioned as one of the westernmost large airfields in Europe, allowing the carrier's aircraft to reach the entirety of North America burning less fuel as distances are shortened.
Aer Lingus also put into service new-generation airplanes, which has made EI one of the most competitive airlines in the transatlantic market. At the moment of writing, EI owns a fleet of eight A321LR that are destined for routes to smaller cities like Philadelphia (PHL), Cleveland (CLE), and even Windsor Locks (BDL), which has a population of 12,000 people.
The airline expects the delivery of the upgraded Airbus A321LXR, which further extends the overall range with a full load of more than 5,000 miles.
It is yet to be decided by its parent company, IAG, the exact dates and number of airplanes assigned to the airline, as Iberia (IB) is also set to operate the XLR in the near future.
Featured image: Aer Lingus celebrates the opening of flights to Cleveland. Photo: Aer Lingus
https://airwaysmag.com/aer-lingus-maiden-transatl/
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