Aer Lingus launches sale with new Mediterranean route announcements

Aer Lingus is reopening its Catania in Sicily service along with new routes to Cretian capital Heraklion and Dalaman in Turkey, the airline announced as it launched a January sale on Thursday.

The Irish carrier is offering 25 per cent off four million seats on European and transatlantic flights from Thursday, December 21st, to cash in on new year holiday bookings.

Aer Lingus maintains that January this year was the “go-to month” for holidaymakers, with website traffic peaking on Wednesday the 11th.

The carrier announced it was “re-establishing” flights to Catania in eastern Sicily, a service it operated before Covid, from May 1st.

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[ Expansion plans could make going through Dublin Airport ‘very difficult’, former Aer Arann boss warns ]

Catania is the gateway to Taormina, already popular with Irish sunseekers before The White Lotus hit their screens.

It is also the closest airport to Mount Etna, the Unesco World Heritage site at Villa Romana del Casale, and Forza d’Agro, which played the Corleone family’s home village in Francis Ford Coppola’s classic movie, The Godfather.

Aer Lingus will begin flying to Dalaman in southern Turkey on April 6th. The area is home to Olu Deniz, of one the Med’s most photographed beaches.

It will kick off services to Heraklion on May 2nd. The city is the capital of Crete, another destination favoured by Irish holidaymakers and close to the Minoan palace at Knossos, one of Europe’s most visited tourist attractions.

Reid Moody, Aer Lingus chief strategy and planning officer, said this year’s expansion of its fleet “carries us into summer 2024 with a mix of new routes and increased frequency on core routes”.