Aer Lingus has officially resumed its Dublin to Minneapolis-St Paul route, with the first flight since 2020 taking off yesterday (Monday).
The direct route was launched in July 2019, but was temporarily shelved less than 12 months later due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
To meet the strong demand of this highly anticipated route restart, Aer Lingus will be offering four weekly roundtrip flights on a widebody Airbus A330 aircraft.
Aer Lingus’ strategic expansion of its North American network reflects its commitment to its Dublin Hub strategy, offering seamless connections to Europe in addition to connection between North America and Ireland. Currently, almost half of booked passengers from Minneapolis to Dublin plan to connect at Dublin, with top destinations including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona, and Berlin.
Speaking on the re-introduction of MSP to Aer Lingus’ North American network, Reid Moody, Aer Lingus Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, commented: “Aer Lingus is delighted to welcome the return of Minneapolis-St. Paul to our North American route network. There has been a noticeable demand from our passengers for the reinstatement of this route following the temporary pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are dedicated to offering passengers seamless connections between North America and Ireland, and onward from Ireland to the rest of Europe. The re-introduction of this route marks the airline’s full restoration of our pre-pandemic North American network and serves as testament to this commitment. Minneapolis-St Paul is a significant business destination within the US and we look forward to once again facilitating corporate links and connectivity between Europe and North America, through our Dublin Hub.”
The return of the Minneapolis route comes 66 years – almost to the day – since Aer Lingus flew its first transatlantic flight – then as Aerlinte Eireann/Irish Airlines – from Dublin to New York JFK, via Shannon.
