Aer Lingus has welcomed the start of three new sun-filled European routes kicking off at the beginning of May as part of its expanded summer 2023 schedule.
This summer the airline will commence flights to Olbia, on the Italian island of Sardinia, and the Greek island of Kos for the first time on Tuesday May 2, followed by Brindisi on May 27.
These new summer destinations are just three of the 53 European destinations taking off from Ireland as part of the Aer Lingus 2023 summer schedule.
The allure of southern Mediterranean destinations continues to captivate Irish travellers, recent European Travel Commission data revealing that these popular holiday hotspots have experienced a rapid recovery, making them the fastest-growing destinations in Europe. Among these southern Mediterranean locations, Italy and Greece have particularly caught the attention of the Irish. According to Google Trends, January 2023 saw a spike in search activity for holidays in these sun-kissed places, indicating a strong desire to escape to their idyllic shores.
In response, Aer Lingus has increased its peak summer capacity to Malaga and Faro from both Cork and Dublin. There is also increased capacity on other popular European routes including, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Perpignan, Izmir, Bordeaux, and Athens from Dublin.
Marking the commencement of Aer Lingus’ new European routes for summer, Susanne Carberry, chief customer officer said, “The inaugural flights to a new destination always create great buzz for customers and employees alike and we’re excited to begin flying to two new Italian destinations and another Greek island in May.
“As was the case last year, we are seeing huge demand for sun travel this summer, particularly our Mediterranean destinations, with many planning their holiday that little bit earlier than before.
“Equally our largest ever transatlantic programme of 2.25 million seats is proving popular with those eager to travel further afield. We will also begin flying to Cleveland, Ohio in May (19) as part of the 16 North American destinations we will serve this year so there is lots of look forward to this summer.”
