Shannon Airport 'disappointed' as airline ceases flights on popular route

ONE SHANNON destination has been taken off the agenda this summer, following an airline’s decision to cease operations for one route from the airport.

The Shannon Airport Group has expressed ‘disappointment’ at the decision by Vueling Airlines to cease operating its service to Paris Orly Airport from June 14. 

Commenting on the news, a spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Group said: “We are disappointed that Vueling Airlines will cease its Paris service from both Shannon and Cork Airports in June. 

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“We understand the reason for this is in relation to capacity issues at Orly Airport. 

“The route launched here at Shannon last September during the winter season, and had been growing in popularity in recent months, signifying the demand for the service.”

The Shannon Group is not alone in their expression of ‘disappointment’, as the Honorary Consul of France for the Limerick region, Dr Loïc Guyon, has said: “The decision made by Vueling to pull out of Shannon Airport only nine months after launching their Shannon-Paris Orly route is very disappointing in many respects. 

“There are well over 2000 French nationals who reside in Shannon Airport’s catchment area and many Irish families from the Midwest region who have relatives in France, so the Orly route was very welcome.” 

Dr Guyon continued by saying that Paris is a “very attractive destination” for Irish tourists, with 70,000 French visitors coming to the Midwest region every year, as well as Paris being a very important European travel hub, and that the direct flight from Shannon to Paris was “very welcome” for businesses.

“It is hard to make sense of Vueling's decision to pull out of Shannon when people were just starting to become aware of the new route and when the tourist season was just about to begin. 

“However, I know that the Shannon Airport team are working very hard to add new routes and I hope that another company will see the potential that a regular flight to and from Paris can have, especially if it is scheduled at practical times during the week.”

The Shannon Group spokesperson reiterated this, by saying: “Our team worked hard to secure this destination for the region, and we will continue to work with Vueling Airlines to secure further destination options in the future.

“We are seeing strong recovery due to pent-up demand for travel. Our 2023 summer schedule offers 32 destinations from Shannon Airport to 11 countries across Europe, the UK and USA, and we will now be exploring alternative opportunities with other airlines to provide a Paris service for our passengers. 

Passengers who are booked to fly to Paris from Shannon with Vueling after June 14 are advised to contact the airline directly.