SHANNON AIRPORT received a boost yesterday when Continental Airlines in the US confirmed it would add four flights a week to Newark Liberty International Airport for its summer schedule.
Continental, which has used Shannon since 1998, currently operates a daily year-round service to Newark in New Jersey, which provides onward connections throughout the US, Canada and Latin America. The early afternoon flights will run from May 28th to September 8th. The airline’s decision to add capacity is surprising, given that most transatlantic carriers are cutting services. But New York, which Newark serves, remains a popular destination for Irish travellers.
John Donoghue of NYC Co, which promotes tourism in New York, said recently the number of visitors from Ireland last year was up on the record 353,000 who travelled in 2008.
Shannon’s airport director Martin Moroney said the new flights would be a “significant boost” for Shannon.