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Minister Ross welcomes new services announced by Norwegian Air International (NAI)
“I very much welcome today’s announcement by Norwegian Air International (NAI) of their plans to launch low-cost transatlantic services from Cork, Shannon and Dublin this summer, serving the east coast of the US” Minister Ross said.
The Irish Government, along with a range of State agencies, has been supportive of NAI’s plans from the outset and the Minister expressed his delight that, after the prolonged delay in being granted a Foreign Air Carrier permit by the US authorities, the airline is now in a position to bring these ambitious plans to fruition.
Ireland is proud of the role it has played, and continues to play, in the development of the global aviation industry. Our small island status means the aviation sector plays a crucial role in facilitating this country’s economic growth.
Minister Ross added: “This welcome announcement from NAI is an important development in the transatlantic aviation market and will contribute further to tourism growth and to the growth currently being experienced by all of our State Airports. Particularly in the case of Cork, the new services will be its first scheduled transatlantic flights and I have no doubt will benefit the region greatly.”
While Irish tourism had a record breaking year in 2016, with exceptional results from North America (+19.4% on 2015), new services such as NAI’s will ensure that 2017 will be even better. This will allow Irish tourism to build on its upward curve, leading to more jobs and economic growth in the regions as well as Dublin.
After a number of years of declining passenger numbers, Cork Airport is now back on the road to growth and expansion with passenger numbers growing by 8% to more than 2.23 million last year. Since it gained its independence from the Dublin Airport Authority in 2012, Shannon Airport has also seen strong growth with a 24% increase in passenger numbers.
Dublin Airport is experiencing the most significant growth levels with a record 27.9 million passengers using the airport in 2016. Dublin Airport is one of the busiest of its size in Europe and the fifth biggest airport in Europe in terms of connections with North America.