Search
23 Sept 2025
Search
23 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
THE INAUGURAL flight of Shannon Airport’s new Chicago service has taken flight for the windy city.
The United Airlines aircraft departed for O’Hare Airport at 9.30am this Friday morning.
Speaking at a gate celebration to mark the occasion, Mary Considine, CEO of The Shannon Airport Group said: “This is a significant boost for Shannon Airport, and we are delighted to have this direct daily seasonal service to Chicago back serving the transatlantic market.
“United Airlines is a valued airline partner at Shannon and this service shows the continued appeal of Shannon and the West of Ireland," she added.
United Airlines began operating from Shannon Airport in 1998, and since then have carried over 2.2 million passengers.
The airline previously operated a Shannon/Chicago service from 2013 to 2017. At that time, the airline operated five times weekly. The 2023 service operates seven days a week and has the capacity to generate an additional 42,000 passengers through Shannon Airport.
“Chicago is an important US gateway and is a really positive addition to the daily services we already offer from Shannon to New York, Boston and Newark. With a seating capacity of over 42,000, this strategic Chicago route not only benefits leisure and tourism travellers, but this direct service also provides important additional business connectivity for our customers,” Ms Considine mentioned.
The airline’s flight to Chicago builds on existing transatlantic nonstop daily seasonal services from Shannon to New York, Newark and Boston.
Martina Coogan, Head of Corporate Sales UK and Ireland at United Airlines was “excited to launch” the new service.
“This is great news for travellers in the west of Ireland, providing even greater travel choice and the possibility to connect via our U.S. hubs to over 100 destinations across the Americas,” Ms Coogan said.
This year, Shannon Airport is offering 35 destinations to 11 countries across the EU, UK and USA.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
