Tourism Ireland has warmly welcomed Aer Lingus’ announcement of its new route from Ireland West Airport Knock to London Heathrow as “really good news” for Mayo and the Wild Atlantic Way and a help in boosting tourism to the west of Ireland.
Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s announcement by Aer Lingus is really good news for tourism to Mayo and the Wild Atlantic Way, as we continue to restore growth in inbound tourism. As an island destination, we know there’s a proven direct correlation between access and growth in visitor numbers, so this new flight will certainly help boost visitor numbers from Britain. Tourism Ireland is committed to working with Aer Lingus, Ireland West Airport Knock and our other key partners, to drive demand for this new flight, and all other services to Ireland, and help maintain our vital network of routes and services.
“Great Britain remains a very important market for tourism to the island of Ireland, delivering around 42% of all our overseas visitors. In 2019, we welcomed almost 4.8 million British visitors, whose visits generated approximately €1.45 billion for the economy.”
The new Aer Lingus service will commence on March 26 and it will operate daily. It, effectively, replaces the Knock-Gatwick service which is ending on March 25.
